University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Located in the center of the Building is the traditional by Liz Jackson The University Tower of the Main Building, rising 307 feet above Austin, stands as a symbol of identity and a timekeeper of tradition for The University of Texas at Austin. Built at a cost of $3 million in 1936, the 27-story Tower was designed in a modified Spanish Renaissance style by one of America ' s foremost architects, Paul P. Cret of Philadelphia. The Tower was one of over 30 buildings on campus designed after oil was discovered on University land in the early 1920s. The idea of a tower structure met with ambivalence from faculty and students. J. Frank Dobie suggested that the Tower be laid on its side for use as a classrooms building, arguing that the Univer- sity would never own enough books to fill the 27 floors of library stacks. But Dr. J. W. Battle, who had studied other college tow- ers, was Chairman of the Faculty Building Committee and the Tower ' s most prominent advocate. He reasoned that the Uni- versity of Pittsburgh ' s Tower had caused the community of Pittsburgh to physically as well as psychologically look up to the university. That same logic might benefit UT, he suggested. CLOCK AND CHIMES Dr. Battle was also instrumental in selecting the Grecian forum design as the structure to support the four faces of the Tower ' s clock. Each clock face is over 14 feet in diameter, and the minute hands are six feet long. The Tower clocK marks the quarter hour by four bell tones from the Westminster Chimes which bring to mind the prayer: Lord in this hour Be thou my guide For in thy power I do abide. Similar to the bells at Valley Forge, the set of 1 7 bells weigh 18 Traditions

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FEATURES EDITED BY JOHN DEPEW AND LIZ JACKSON

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40,000 pounds and cost just under $50,000 in the 1930s. The Tower chimes were given to the University by H. J. Lutcher Stark, a University regent from Orange, Texas. Until 1 968, the carillonneur played on a clavier, or a mechani- cal key board, located in the bell tower. A hut built around the keyboard was his only protection from the elements and the chiming bells. In recent years, however, the keyboard has been transferred to the chime room on the third floor of the Main Building. Complete with its own thermostat control, the room is also equipped with an amplifier which allows the carrillonneur to hear what he is playing without a time lag. The chimes can be heard for five miles. LIGHTING The noticeable tradition of the Tower is its elaborate light schedule during special holidays and celebrations of significant athletic wins. Dr. Carl Eckhardt, superintendent of buildings and a professor of mechanical engineering, was the first to illumi- nate the Tower in orange. Eckhardt placed orange filters over the lights, and when the idea was lauded, special orange lights were installed. The schedule for lighting the Tower is as follows: Acres, the Tower of the Main ymbol of the UT Austin campus. Tower shaft, observation and column decks in orange: Thanksgiving game victories (A M games) Sunday evenings following Turkey Day wins Any national athletic championships Tower shaft white, observation and column decks orange: Football wins Southwest Conference wins in baseball, basketball, track, swimming, cross country and team championships in ten- nis and golf NCAA championships Commencement Inauguration of the UT president March 2, Texas Independence Day April 21 , San Jacinto Day July 4, U.S. Independence Day November 1 1 , Veterans Day Christmas Day Tower shaft white, observation and column decks alternately orange: Tie football games First place tie in Southwest Conference play LIGHTS OUT Throughout the years the Tower has been darkened for cer- tain occasions. The Tower was blacked out during World War II in accordance with the national dim-out regulations to help avoid setting a landmark for the enemy. In 1973, the regularly- used white Tower lights were turned off as a reminder to the Austin community of the need to conserve energy. In the fall of 1974, the Tower was again lighted in accordance with its regu- lar schedule because of the negligible energy load required to light the entire Tower. FIRE Austin ' s first high-rise fire occurred in the Tower in August, 1 965. Sparked by an acetylene torch in the library, the fire dam- aged part of the Hoblitzelle Theatre Arts Library collection housed on the 20th floor, and caused considerable damage to the 1 9th and 21 st floors due to heat, smoke and water. Because of limited means of escape in case of fire in the Tower, the library stacks are usually closed to undergraduates during peak hours of operation. OBSERVATION DECK Although a symbol of identity and tradition on the University campus, the Tower symbolizes tragedy for some. Two acciden- tal and seven suicidal plunges from the observation deck have occurred; the most recent was on Oct. 28, 1974. After each tragedy, the deck has been temporarily barred, and the obser- vation deck is now closed indefinitely until some form of protec- tive barrier can be designed and erected. In October, 1976, the Longhorn Band attempted to revive a tradition halted by the closing of the Tower ' s observation deck playing atop the Tower before football games. However, arrangements for the revival this season were delayed because of security measures which must be taken when a large number of persons would occupy the deck for the mini-concerts. WHITMAN SHOOTING The most tragic episode associated with the structure began at noon Aug. 1, 1966, when Charles Whitman, a 25-year-old architectural engineering student, terrorized the campus and community by shooting and killing unsuspecting persons from the observation deck. Dressed in overalls and toting a file cabi- net filled with food supplies as well as three rifles, 700 rounds of ammunition and other weapons, Whitman entered the Tower quietly and then proceeded to barricade himself on the obser- vation deck. Shooting at anyone and everything moving, he killed 16 persons and wounded 32 others during his 90-minute sniping spree. Whitman was finally killed when police and civil- ians stormed the deck -and caught Whitman by surprise. An autopsy revealed a brain tumor which could possibly have caused Whitman ' s irrational behavior. Summer school classes were dismissed the following day, and flags around the state flew at half-mast. INSIDE THE TOWER The Tower houses many administrative offices, including the President ' s, Regents ' and the Admissions offices. Also, the Tower contains 1 .25 million volumes in the Mirabeau B. Lamar Library, better known as the Main Library. However, during the summer of 1 977, the Lamar library and other collections around campus planned moves to the new Perry-Castanada Library on 21st Street and Speedway. Plans for the Tower ' s 17 vacated floors have not been finalized, but possibilities include moving several University supporting services located off-campus to the more central locale of the Tower. Throughout the past 40 years, the Tower has symbolized dif- ferent things for students and members of the community. It stands as an indication of victory or defeat after athletic con- tests. It has attracted many visitors because of its view of Austin and surrounding communities. And it has symbolized tragedy for some. To numerous alumni all over the world, the Tower has a special significance personal to each individual, and stands as an emblem of tradition for The University of Texas at Austin. Traditions 19