The center of Harvard Yard will once again be filled with the sonorous clang of a large bell, after a new one was installed yesterday in Memorial Church’s belfry. In June 2011—two months after the bell company Chime Master Systems installed a new clapper—Memorial Church officials noticed that the previous bell “was making a funny sound,” and soon realized that it had cracked. After determining that the new clapper had caused the crack, the University sued the installers. The original 5,000-pound bell—donated in 1932 by University president emeritus A. Lawrence Lowell, class of 1877—was deemed no longer usable, and was replaced by an electronic speaker that rang out over Harvard Yard at 8:40 a.m., every hour on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and during Commencement; after this year’s ceremony, the speaker was removed. The John Taylor Bell Foundry in the United Kingdom, the same company that cast the original bell in 1926, also produced the new bell.
Harvard’s Memorial Church gets new bell
Harvard’s Memorial Church gets new bell
After a two-foot crack appeared in 2011, the old bell is finally replaced.
You might also like
Faculty Set to Vote on Grade Inflation Proposal
Results of the email ballot will be announced on May 20.
Jason Furman to Lead Center for Business and Government
The new director of Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center bridges economic research and policy.
Harvard Awards Teaching and Mentoring Prizes
Harvard College and GSAS recognize outstanding faculty contributors.
Most popular
Explore More From Current Issue
Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil
The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.
We’re All Harvard Influencers, Like It or Not
In the digital age, it’s hard to avoid playing into the mythology.
A New ‘Black Swan’ Musical Cranks Up the Tension
The creative team of the A.R.T.’s new show dish on adapting Darren Aronofsky’s thriller classic from screen to stage.