Campus & community, Campus news

Campanile clock at a standstill (for the time being)

By Anne Brice

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Last week, the Campanile’s four clocks, along with its hourly chimes that the campus uses to stay on schedule, came to a halt.

Steeplejack Jim Phelan removes the clock hands from the Campanile's west face as part of a months-long refurbishment of Sather Tower. http://www.berkeley.edu/news/2003/06/clock/slideshow_pt1.html Photo by Steve McConnell / Public Affairs

When the Campanile was completed in 1915, the Daily Californian reported that “students will have no excuse for lateness to class now.”

Because the Campanile’s clock installation is anything but ordinary — thought to be one of the nation’s largest when it was made 100 years ago — it’s going to take some time to find or craft the right parts that will ensure it runs for many years to come.

The Campanile’s carillon performances, however, will continue according to the regular summer schedule.

Further details on the status of the bell tower’s stalled clocks will be available next week. In the meantime, visit the NewsCenter to learn more about the Campanile’s rich history.