| Burton Memorial Tower | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of Burton Memorial Tower | |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in Ann Arbor from 1936 to 1967[I] | |
| Preceded by | St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (Ann Arbor, Michigan) |
| Surpassed by | Tower Plaza |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco,art moderne |
| Location | 230 North Ingalls Street,Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 42°16′45.9″N83°44′18.5″W / 42.279417°N 83.738472°W /42.279417; -83.738472 |
| Year built | 1935-1936 |
| Height | 192 ft (59 m) |
TheBurton Memorial Tower is aclock tower located on Central Campus at theUniversity of Michigan inAnn Arbor at 230 North Ingalls Street. Housing a grandcarillon, the tower was built in 1936 as amemorial for University PresidentMarion Leroy Burton (presidency: 1920–1925). This carillon is the world's fourth-heaviest, containing 53bells and weighing a total of 43tons.
Themonument was constructed in 1935 and finished in 1936. It stands at 192 feet, with the floor of the bell chamber at 120 feet from the ground. It is located at theUniversity of Michigan campus, and is used for housingeducationoffices. Thehigh-rise tower was designed in an interesting mixture ofArt Deco andart moderne architectural styles, constructed with areinforced concrete shell faced withlimestone over a plan 42 feet (13 m) square. The design was greatly influenced byEliel Saarinen, who had submitted an earlier scheme. At the top is the 43-ton, 53-bellBaird Carillon. The tower chimes theWestminster Quarters every quarter hour in the key of E-flat.
While this building houses a memorial carillon, it is primarily a conventional high-rise, containsclassrooms for the University of Michigan's school of music, and houses offices for the departments of musicology, ethnomusicology, musical theatre and for theUniversity Musical Society.
The Burton Memorial Tower was designed byAlbert Kahn, who also designed theWilliam L. Clements Library,Angell Hall, andHill Auditorium for the University of Michigan. Its carillon was donated by Michigan alumnusCharles A. Baird, a lawyer and the first U-M athletic director, and has been christened the "Charles Baird Carillon". Baird had the bells cast inEngland and gave them to the university. He also commissioned “Sunday Morning in Deep Waters”, the fountain on Ingalls Mall between Burton Tower and theMichigan League.
After University of Michigan RegentSarah Goddard Power committed suicide by jumping to her death from the eighth floor of Burton Tower in 1987, slight modifications were made to the structure, such as the addition of stops to prevent windows from opening more than a few inches.
The University of Michigan campus has two of only twenty-three grand carillons in the world, barely two miles apart. The other is housed at the Ann and Robert H.Lurie Tower on the North Campus.
On April 8, 2017, in celebration of the university's bicentennial, the tower was illuminated in maize and blue, the university's colors. The carillon and spire can also be lit in other colors by the LED illumination system installed for the bicentennial.
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