Interior of Jordan Hall bell tower

Description: This bell tower is on the western end of Jordan Hall. The building was constructed of reinforced concrete with brick infill on the exterior walls. The granite and limestone on the exterior walls is purely decorative and does not support the building structurally. When Jordan Hall opened on September 17, 1928, it was the only academic building on Butler Universitys Fairview campus. When Butler University opened in 1855 at its original location, near the intersection of 13 Street and College Avenue in Indianapolis, a bell rang for the start of classes. When the University moved to Irvington in 1878, the bell moved too. Once again, it rang to signal the start of classes as well as for important meetings and football victories. An article in the October 8, 1928, issue of The Butler Collegian titled Bell Follows University to New Campus notes that while a group of over enthusiastic students were celebrating a winning football game, the bell was rung so hard that the rope broke, causing the bell to crash through the chapel floor, cracking the bell (p. 3). Although the bell was rehung in the Administration Building bell tower, it was silent. The bell was repaired before it was moved to the current Fairview campus and installed in the Jordan Hall bell tower. The repaired bell rang for the first time during the June day exercises in 1928, three months before the first classes began on the new campus.
Origin: 1996-06
Source: http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/1281
Collection: Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright: In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Geography: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.838924, -86.173076
39.838924
-86.173076
Subjects: Butler University--Buildings
College buildings
Bell towers
Butler University--History
Indianapolis (Ind.)--History
Arthur Jordan Memorial Hall
Jordan Hall
Fairview campus

Further information on this record can be found at its source.