The tower was originally a water stand that the millionaire Thomas W. Lawson had encased in the tower that is seen today to improve its visual appearance. This project was to repair the wooden bell carriage.
The twelve bells (that are played on special heritage days) are situated in the large circular room just below the roof line approximately 110 feet above the ground. The tower stands 153 feet high.
The bell carriage area is accessed by a spiral staircase housed in an external turret shown here.
A view from the bell room.
The bells range in size up to 3,000lbs hung on a wooden carriage frame which had deteriorated and the associated bolts had corroded.
The wood frame was dismantled and the structural cracks were injected with epoxy and clamped to recover their structural integrity and strength. Over 200 clamps were used in this process.
The preserved beams were primed prior to reassembly.
The ceiling of the bell room was also repainted during the restoration.
After the beams were repaired, the carriage assembly was temporarily assembled to check for fit and alignment problems before being dismantled, repainted and re-assembled with stainless bolts to ensure integrity for years to come.
