Denny Chimes

Denny Chimes is a 115ft tall campanile tower on the south side of The Quad at the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The tower was named in honor of George H. Denny, who served as university president from 1912 to 1936 and then again in 1941. It is equipped with a 25-bell carillon. The tower is one of the most visible landmarks on campus.HistoryThe idea of erecting a bell tower on the University of Alabama campus was initially suggested in 1919. It was envisioned as a war memorial for those who fought in World War I. Due to a lack of funding for its construction, the project never materialized.In the late 1920s, university students were finally successful in collecting the necessary funding to construct a tower, although not as a war memorial. It was done in an effort to dedicate the structure to university president George Denny, after learning of a rumor that he was looking to leave the university and return to his native Virginia.The tower was built by Skinner, Maxwell and Company at a final cost of $40,000. It was dedicated on May 27, 1929, with Governor Bibb Graves in attendance.DesignThe tower is Art Deco in design. The square white limestone base features pilasters at each corner, with a recessed bay in between. The base is crowned by a molded cornice, which in turn is topped by an eagle, with partially outstretched wings, perched at each of the four corners, where the limestone base transitions to the brick shaft. The base supports a red brick shaft that gradually tapers to a limestone crown featuring a belfry with square pillars separated by partially open neoclassical grills, all topped off by a stepped pyramidal roof of limestone. The limestone was quarried in Alabama, while the bricks are from Virginia, in honor of Denny's home state.