One of my favorite landmarks, architecturally-wise, has always been the clock tower at U.C. Berkeley, better known as the Campanile, although officially known as Sather Tower. The neo-gothic design has always made me think of the great academic institutions of the Northeast like Yale or Harvard and the faded stone facade reminds me of how long both it and the school have been there.
Designed by John Galen Howard, who at the time of construction was the head of the school’s architecture department, the 307 foot tower was built in 1914 at a time of great expansion at the University but wasn’t fully completed and open to the public until three years later in 1917 due to the 12 large bells that had to be cast in England being delayed because of World War I.
After having visited Italy in the 1890s, Howard drew his inspiration from the famous Campanile of St Mark’s basilica at the piazza San Marco in Venice which had been constructed in 1514. The funds to construct the bell tower came from Jane K Sather in early 1911, who had previously donated money for the construction of the Sather Gate, as well as for academic endowments in memory of her late husband Peder, who was a trustee of the original College of California, U.C. Berkeley’s predecessor. In an ironic twist, the Campanile in Venice would collapse in 1902, just after Howard’s visit and would be rebuilt over the next ten years at almost the same time as it’s cousin in California.
Learn more about the fascinating history of the Campanile on this episode of Historic Bay Area.
In 1958, the Campanile saw its first suicide, as a local attorney jumped from the open air observation deck and after a second suicide, this time from a student in 1961, the University installed safety barriers over the openings, which at first were glass, but after discovering that they muffled the sounds of the bells, a metal grill was substituted instead.
The original twelve bells were never deemed sufficient enough to play the full compliment of songs that had been envisioned for them, including the Star Spangled Banner, and discussions about expanding them lingered on for decades following their installation.
In 1978, the class of 1928 in celebration of their 50 year reunion, donated funds to add 36 bells to the tower, and 13 more are added a few years later following a gift from Jerry Chambers (class of 1928) and Evelyn Chambers (class of 1932). The carillon now became a grand carillon, with 61 bells spanning five octaves. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers also donated funds to employ a full time carillonist, practice rooms with instruments, a library, and a carillon festival every five years.
If you’re interested in taking in a performance of the Campanile carillon, check out their schedule here. They play anything from the Cal fight song to the Top Gun theme.
Not only that, but while you’re there, visit the open-air observation deck, with sweeping views of Berkeley, the Bay and San Francisco every day until 6pm. It’s only $3, so get out there!
Historic Bay Area 