Spencer W. Kimball Tower, University building at Brigham Young University, US
Spencer W. Kimball Tower is a 12-story educational building on Brigham Young University's campus standing about 162 feet (49 meters) tall. The structure houses classrooms, administrative offices, and research facilities serving multiple academic departments.
Designed by Emil B. Fetzer, the tower opened in 1981 and was the tallest structure in Provo for many years afterward. Its completion represented a major moment in the physical development of both the university and the city.
The tower is named after Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In summer 2018, at the request of the Kimball family, its nickname changed from SWKT to KMBL, the abbreviation now used on campus signage and schedules.
The tower sits at a 45-degree angle to neighbouring buildings, so its entrance faces the campus walkways rather than the street grid. Classrooms and offices for the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences and the College of Nursing fill the 12 floors, and access is meant for university members.
The 45-degree angle to neighbouring buildings was a deliberate choice to offset a corridor effect. The tower was Provo's tallest building from 1981 until 2018, when the Provo Fourth District Courthouse was completed; the Pedersen Patient Tower took the title in 2019.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,051 contributors worldwide.