Burton Memorial Tower, Ann Arbor, Ghid vizitatori și ce de văzut în apropiere

Burton Memorial Tower is a bell tower on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was built in the 1930s as a memorial to university president Marion LeRoy Burton and holds the Charles Baird Carillon. It is one of the most recognisable landmarks in town, and its bells carry across central campus.

The story behind it

Marion LeRoy Burton led the University of Michigan in the early 1920s and died in 1925. The tower was built in his memory and finished in the mid 1930s, to a design by the Detroit architect Albert Kahn. It rises well above the surrounding campus buildings and is easy to spot from many streets nearby.

Inside is the Charles Baird Carillon, a musical instrument made of tuned bells played from a keyboard. It is named for Charles Baird, a university benefactor. The carillon is still played today, so the tower works as a musical instrument as well as a monument.

What to look for

• Look up at the full height of the tower from the base, where the slender stone shaft draws the eye to the bell chamber at the top.
• Find the clock faces high on the tower and see how many you can spot as you walk around it.
• Notice the open belfry near the top, where the carillon bells sit behind the openings.
• Step back onto the nearby open ground to see how the tower sits against the surrounding campus buildings, which makes a good photo.

Tips for your visit

• Plan 15 to 20 minutes for the tower itself, longer if you want to linger on the surrounding campus paths.
• The tower is easy to enjoy from outside, and the interior is not generally open for casual visits, so check current access information before you come.
• Carillon music is played at set times, so check the current recital schedule if you want to hear the bells.
• Pair it with a wander through the rest of central campus, which is compact and easy to cover on foot.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Ann Arbor passes the tower as one stop on a longer walk through the area. The app tells you about each place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Ann Arbor is a good pick for families, who reach the tower on foot as part of a longer route and solve a puzzle in front of it. The app shares the story of each place as you arrive. One ticket covers the whole group.

Ann Arbor Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. brings you to the tower as one stop on a detective-style walk through Ann Arbor. You learn about each place as you get there and work out a puzzle with what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.