Berkeleyan

Campanile to re-open on weekends
Just in time for Big Game sightseers

17 November 2004

The Campanile is re-opening to weekend visitors.

“It’s very exciting,” said LaDawn Duvall, director of Visitor Services in the Office of Public Affairs. “The Campanile is one of Cal’s most enduring landmarks — a beacon that brings people to campus.”

Renovations and post-9/11 security concerns resulted in the Campanile being closed on weekends for the past two years. (It has remained open Monday through Friday.) Among the renovations were improved lighting, new hoisting mechanisms for the elevator, improvements to the elevator cabin, and other basic maintenance.

‘Hey, I can see a 35-0 halftime lead from here!’ (Bonnie Azab Powell photo)

The Campanile, formally known as the Jane K. Sather Tower, will be open weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., although it will close for the traditional 45-minute carillon concert that begins at 2 p.m. each Sunday. The tower is closed during campus holidays. General admission is $2, or $1 for youth ages 3 to 17, senior citizens, or California Alumni Association members with ID. There’s no charge for Berkeley students, faculty, and staff with ID, or for children younger than three years old.

The tower, known for its 61 bells (currently in the hands of University Carillonist Jeff Davis), was designed by John Galen Howard; construction was completed in 1914. At 307 feet, it is the world’s third-largest bell-and- clock tower, and offers sweeping views of the campus and surrounding Bay Area. An observation platform is located at the 200-foot level.

The bells that make up the carillon weigh from 19 to 10,500 pounds and are located above the observation platform. In addition to the Sunday concerts, the carillon is played daily at 7:50 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m.

As part of the classic core of the campus, the Campanile is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a California Historical Landmark.

For further information, including a complete schedule of opening hours, visit http://www.berkeley.edu/visitors/campanile.html.