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Home > Building > Architecture > Tower
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The tower is the only element of the Chapel that imitates a detail
of another specific building. It is modeled on the Bell Harry Tower
of Canterbury Cathedral, but with a difference: instead of being
located over the crossing of the nave and the transept, as is traditional
for English Gothic cathedrals, the tower is at the front of the
building, in the tradition of English parish churches.
A hundred feet above the Chapel entrance is the Tower Historical
Room. Originally intended to house items reflecting the University’s
Trinity College heritage, it now is used as a storeroom. Built
into the walls of this room are cornerstones from the original
Trinity College campus in Randolph County, North Carolina, and
from buildings on East Campus that were demolished. The Historical
Room provides access to the space between the ceiling and the
roof of the nave. This attic space holds the steel skeleton that
supports the roof. At this level are winches that can be used
to lower the chandeliers to pew level for cleaning or changing
the bulbs.
The next room in the tower is the carillon studio, which houses
the keyboard from which the carillon is played. From the level
of the carillon studio, doors open onto balconies on each of the
tower’s four sides. Above the carillon studio is the large,
open chamber where the bells hang. From this level, the stairwell
leads to the roof, upon which is an elevated observation deck.
Because of safety concerns, access to the observation deck is
limited to first-year students and graduating seniors on specific
dates during the academic year. Occasionally, religious life groups
climb the tower stairs with one of the deans or religious
life group leaders.
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