In 2016, when I did my photo documentation shoot of the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, I missed an important campus landmark, not only for NCSU, but for the community: The 115-foot granite Memorial Bell Tower.
Of course, at the time, I hadn't moved to North Carolina yet, so I suppose I could defend my ignorance of this landmark as an out-of-towner's unfortunate oversight.
The idea to erect a tower to commemorate NCSU alumni who died in World War I was conceived in 1920, and the cornerstone laid in 1921. But after that, there were considerable delays in advancing the project. The two most glaring impediments were the Great Depression and World War II. So it wasn't until 1949 that almost everything planners had wanted to include in the monument had been added and the tower was dedicated.
You can read the full history by following the link in this sentence, but that link doesn't mention that for more than 70 years thereafter, there were no real bells in the bell tower. Instead, recordings of bells were piped through speakers that had been installed in the monument.
Fast-forward to May 2021, when 55 bells and a carillon were installed in the tower, thanks to a gift from NCSU alumnus Bill Henry and his wife, Frances. And, finally, real bells rang from the tower for the first time.
So I guess even if I had swung by there in 2016, I wouldn't have been able to hear real bells. The tower and Henry Square, named for the generous donor, were rededicated
On March 7, I rectified my 2016 omission and went to 2102 Hillsborough Street, at the corner of Hillsborough Street and Pullen Road, and took the photos you see in this post. The site is across Pullen Road from the park I also had visited and about which I featured in this blog's previous post.
And yes, as the lead-off photo illustrates, there were trees to work around ... or to integrate into while making the composition. Those buildings you see in the background of the lead-off photo are on the NCSU campus.
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