Storke Tower, Campanile at University of California Santa Barbara, United States.
Storke Tower is a concrete structure approximately 175 feet tall located on the University of California Santa Barbara campus that rises prominently from the academic grounds. The building houses a carillon system with 61 bells and offices for student media operations including the campus radio station and yearbook production facilities.
Storke Tower was dedicated for use on September 28, 1969. It was designed by the San Francisco firm Clark and Morgan and named for Thomas M. Storke, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and U.S. senator who helped found UCSB and contributed funds to the tower and the adjoining Storke Communications Plaza.
The carillon's 61 bells include the largest, cast with the university seal and motto; others carry quotes such as Clark Kerr's line that the university makes students safe for ideas. An electronic system plays the Westminster Quarters hourly and strikes the motto "Let There Be Light" ten minutes before each hour, with the ten largest bells each assigned a letter.
The tower sits in a central location on campus and is visible from many places, making it easy to use as an orientation point or meeting spot. Access to the interior is limited as the building primarily serves university staff and students rather than the general public.
Until 2008, UC Santa Barbara ROTC cadets used Storke Tower for mountaineering training, rappelling down the tower as a culmination exercise. Campus administrators discontinued the practice for liability reasons, citing student safety and ROTC policies that barred the physically disabled from participating.
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