Buford Tower, Bell tower in downtown Austin, United States

Buford Tower is a freestanding six-story tower of reddish-brown brick with limestone accents, 67 feet tall on a 14-foot square plan. It has a low-pitched square hip roof and round-arched Romanesque Revival doors and windows, with a stone cornice above the fifth level. The top level has double-arched openings framed by brick pilasters with limestone capitals.

The tower was built in 1930 as a fire drill facility and renamed in 1978 to honor Captain James L. Buford, the first Austin firefighter to die in the line of duty. This renaming recognized his sacrifice and placed the structure as a permanent memorial to his service.

The tower holds the Kitchens Memorial Chimes system, which marks the hours and plays musical selections during the holiday season. These bells have become a familiar sound to people living and working in the downtown area.

The tower sits near the State Capitol, the University of Texas, and the entertainment district of 6th Street, making it easy to visit alongside other downtown landmarks. Visitors should note that its downtown location means the area can get quite busy, especially during peak hours.

The tower's windows were left unglazed during its training years, and pigeons infested the empty structure until the city marked it for demolition. Effie Kitchens, widow of builder Rex D. Kitchens, then led a 1978 campaign that raised $45,000, of which she gave $30,000 herself, to restore the tower and install the carillon.