*Location:

   First United Methodist Church
   3rd Street North at 2nd Avenue
   St.Petersburg, Florida, USA
   LL: N 27.77365, W 82.63723

Site locator map

*Player:

   Marion Smith, Dir. of Music Ministries
   E: smithm@eckerd.edu

*Contact:

   First Methodist Church
   *parcel:
     212 - 3rd Street North
     St.Petersburg, FL  33701-3819
   *postal:
     PO Box 1138
     St.Petersburg, FL  33731-1138
   T: 727-894-4661   F: 727-825-0243
   E: rnay@fumcsp.org

*Schedule:

   Sundays before 11:00 service;
   hymn concert daily at 1220 (auto);
   quarters & hour 0800-1800 daily.
   Quarter-strike has unique pattern of
   four three-note phrases:
   1st q = sol-mi-do,
   2nd q = 1st q + la-fa-sol,
   3rd q = 2nd q + mi-la-sol,
   4th q = 3rd q + mi-sol-do,
   hour strike on tenor (do).

*Remarks:

   Added semitones: flat 7th (original),
   sharp 4th, sharp 9th, sharp treble
   (all added).  Original chimestand on
   display in sanctuary (some parts are
   missing).  Two-octave Schulmerich
   electric keyboard (and cassette recorder/
   player) under west choirloft stair are
   much older than added bells.  Only 14
   notes are usable; two (one new and one
   old) have no strikers.

*Technical data:

   Electric-keyboard chime of 16 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is F  in the middle octave
   Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
   Keyboard range:     F C#  /    NONE  
   There are four added semitones
   The instrument was enlarged in 1999
     with bells made by Eijsbouts    
   Prior history:
     In 1991, the instrument was enlarged to 15 bells
       by Eijsbouts   
       Keyboard range was:     F C   /    NONE  
       There were three added semitones
     In 1990, the instrument was enlarged to 12 bells
       by Eijsbouts   
       Keyboard range was:     F A#  /    NONE  
       There was one added semitone
     In 1989, the instrument was enlarged to 11 bells
       by Eijsbouts   
       Keyboard range was:     F A   /    NONE  
     In 1926, the instrument was begun with 10 bells
       by Meneely/Troy
       Keyboard range was:     F G   /    F A# 4
   Auxiliary mechanisms: Q5    
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2007

The church Website has a photo of the tower on the home page.  A previous version of the Website referred briefly to "carillon chimes" in the tower, but even that small mention is now gone.

Waymarking page, with 2 photos of tower in gallery

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Troy) bellfoundry.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the third phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the fourth phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all North American chimes by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all North American chimes by weight (pitch).
Ranking among all North American chimes by year of completion.

Index to all tower bell instruments in FL.

   This page was built from the database on  4-Nov-23
   based on textual data last updated on 2008/10/01
   and on technical data last updated on 2007/03/11