Seabury Chime
   (originally The Charles Seabury
     Memorial Chimes)

*Location:

   Seabury Tower
   Grace Episcopal Church
   Lake Street between Kenilworth and
     Forest Avenues
   Oak Park, Illinois, USA
   LL: N 41.88888, W 87.79878

Site locator map

*Player:

   (Volunteers)

*Contact:

   Grace Church
   924 Lake Street
   Oak Park, IL  60301-1298
   T: 708-386-8036   F: 708-386-8032
   E: denden1958@runbox.com
      office@graceoakpark.org

*Schedule:

   (unknown)

*Remarks:

   Given by C. Ward Seabury in memory of
   his father.
   Added semitone is flat 7th.  Bass
   swings without chimestand disconnect.
   Action modified for uniform stroke with
   stop bar on chimestand.
   2023: to be rehung on new steel frame
   by Smith's Bell & Clock Service
   2025: restoration completed by Paccard,
   with all new clappers.

*Technical data:

   Traditional chime (chimestand) of 10 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is D  in the middle octave
   Keyboard range:     D E   /    NONE  
   Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
   There is one added semitone
   The presence or absence of a practice console is unknown
   The whole instrument was installed in 1922
     with bells made by Meneely/Wvlt     
   No auxiliary mechanisms known
   Tower details: 
     Height of console:                  5 meters above ground
     Height of lowest level of bells:    . meters above ground
     Height of highest level of bells:   . meters above ground
     Belfry openness:   .%
   Year of latest technical information source is 2012

The church Website has a small photo of the tower near the bottom of the home page.  There is a recently added page about the project to rehang the bells.

Their Facebook presence

Letter to the editor (4 Nov 2025) regarding restoration of the chime, with incorrect location for the Meneely bellfoundry (which was actually in West Troy, NY)

News article (Nov.2025) on the restoration

News article (19 Dec 2023) on impending restoration

Where this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Watervliet) bellfoundry.

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 IL.

   This page was built from the database on 10-Mar-26
   based on textual data last updated on 2026/03/01
   and on technical data last updated on 2002/07/26