Restoration Highlight
The highly anticipated restoration and renovation of the McGaffin Carillon is complete. We are deeply grateful to the more than 225 donors who made this possible. A list of donors is available on the Friends of the McGaffin Carillon website: https://www.ucbells.org/friends.
In this series of highlights, the Friends of the McGaffin Carillon would like to recognize some of the major gifts as well as notable upgrades to the instrument.
Behind the Scenes
Just as in carillon performances—where the performer is rarely seen—much of the carillon restoration work took place inside the tower or behind the scenes, out of public view. Board member and Project Coordinator, Patrick Macoska, documented the day-by-day work, including photos. Click the links to see these reports for a unique look at what it took to restore and install University Circle’s largest musical instrument.
August 2024. The remains of the disassembly, old transmission bars, conduit, and wires.
Last summer, technicians from Royal Eijsbouts arrived to dismantle the carillon and prepare the tower for the new bells and mechanism. Over nine days, they dismounted the bells and clappers and disassembled the clavier and playing mechanism. Twenty-four of the smallest bells were packed and shipped back to the Netherlands to accommodate the fabrication of new framework, clappers, and mechanism. The photo shows the pile of old mechanism that will be replaced. Link to Disassembly Field Report.
May 2025. The crane is getting ready to lift the new bells into the tower.
In mid-May, workers returned and unpacked a twenty-foot open shipping container holding the bells and all the new equipment. It took four men, a crane, a lift, and three weeks to assemble the carillon—but by June 4, University Circle residents and visitors were once again hearing clock chimes and bell music. Link to Reinstallation Field Report.
What the reports don’t show is the extensive behind-the-scenes planning and coordination. A structural engineer confirmed the tower could support the increased weight of the new bells, which is 40% heavier than before. There were Zoom meetings and phone calls with the Netherlands to finalize the configuration and ensure the tower was ready. Locally, we arranged for the crane and lift, repainted the bell framework, coordinated electrical work for the new clock chimes, received the shipments, and paid the import fees. (Tuned bells, thankfully, are exempt from tariffs and import duties.)
Some work still remains in the tower. We plan to repaint the clavier level and update the lighting. We’ve saved artifacts from the original installation, which will eventually be displayed. But for now, we are excited to show off the restored and renovated McGaffin Carillon.
