This page focuses attention on those institutions in North America which own (or have owned) two or more tower bell instruments of any kind, whether at the same time or sequentially. Included here are tubular tower chimes as listed elsewhere on the TowerBells Website. Not included here are instances where an instrument was replaced with another instrument of the same kind after destruction by fire.
The institutions are grouped according to how their instruments are (or have been) located - e.g., in the same tower, in different places on the same building, in different buildings on the same property, or on different properties. Within each group, institutions are listed approximately in the order that they acquired their second tower bell instrument.
NOTES: Sites are tagged as follows:
At the National Cathedral in Washington (DC), the central tower (the Gloria in Excelsis Tower)
was dedicated in 1964.
It has a 53-bell carillon in the lower belfry and a 10-bell ring in the upper belfry.
See also below.
WASHINGTON - NC/1 : USA - DC trad WASHINGTON - NC/2 : USA - DC ring
In the tower of the Episcopal Church of St.Martin-in-the-Fields in Philadelphia (PA), there is a 9-bell chime in the upper belfry, with a ring of 8 hung below it. Both were made by the same foundry, nearly a century apart.
PHILADELPHIA - STMTF/1 : USA - PA chime PHILADELPHIA - STMTF/2 : USA - PA ring
In Toronto (ON), St.James Cathedral (Anglican) has an old 10-bell chime in the original (now upper) belfry. Within the tower has been constructed a new lower belfry to house North America's first ring of 12 bells, most of which are older than the cathedral.
TORONTO - STJA/1 : CANADA - ON chime TORONTO - STJA/2 : CANADA - ON ring
St.Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston (TX) has a 10-bell chime in the original (now upper) belfry and a ring of 8 bells in the newly-created lower belfry.
HOUSTON - STP/1 : USA - TX chime HOUSTON - STP/2 : USA - TX ring
Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston (TX) originally had four rope-swung bells in its belfry. When a new lower belfry was constructed to house a ring of 8 bells, the original four bells were tuned and augmented to a chime of 9 bells.
HOUSTON - PM/1 : USA - TX chime HOUSTON - PM/2 : USA - TX ring
At the Episcopal Church of St.James-the-Less in Philadelphia (PA), the freestanding tower of the Wanamaker Mausoleum has both a 15-bell conventional chime and a 16-note tubular chime. The tubular bells are hung around the outside of the frame which carries the conventional bells.
PHILADELPHIA - STJL/1 : USA - PA chime PHILADELPHIA - STJL/2 : USA - PA tubular chime
In Nashville, the capitol of Tennessee, the Bicentennial Capitol Mall contains 95 Tennessee Bicentennial Bells, one for each county of the state, distributed among the micro-belfries which form the tops of 50 cylindrical stone pillars standing in two concentric circles. The bells are divided into two non-traditional carillons, one playable from a traditional baton keyboard with electric action (i.e., a hybrid) and both playable from separate electric keyboards or automatically. Although these instruments are not confined to a single belfry in the usual sense of the word, it is not known precisely how the bells of the two instruments are distributed among the pillars, and there isn't a better category on this page into which to put them.
NASHVILLE - TB/1 : USA - TN hybrid NASHVILLE - TB/2 : USA - TN non-trad
At Trinity Episcopal Church in New York City, there was an 8-bell ring dating from 1797, which was subsequently augmented into a 10-bell chime. In 2006, it was rehung higher in the belfry and augmented to an 11-bell chime. At the same time, a new 12-bell ring (with added semitone making a total of 13 bells) was hung in the position of the original ring.
NEW YORK - TC/1 : USA - NY ring/chime NEW YORK - TC/2 : USA - NY ring
In Bloomfield Hills (MI), the Kirk in the Hills has a 77-bell carillon in the church tower, and a slightly younger 12-bell glockenspiel (automatic chime accompanying animated figures) over an entrance to the education wing.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS - KH/1 : USA - MI trad BLOOMFIELD HILLS - KH/2 : USA - MI chime
In Chicago (IL), the Catholic church of St.John Cantius installed a second-hand Deagan tubular chime of 25 notes in its bell tower in 1999. A few years later the church installed a 25-bell automatic carillon on the flat roof above the north vestry.
CHICAGO - STJO/1 : USA - IL tubular CHICAGO - STJO/2 : USA - IL non-trad
The tower of First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln (NE) received a 48-bell carillon in 1931. In the 1990 renovation and expansion of that instrument, the 28 treble bells that were replaced were made into a chamber carillon (indoors), which was located in the balcony of the main church; it was eventually dismantled.
LINCOLN - FP/1 : USA - NE trad LINCOLN - FP/2 : USA - NE non-trad
On the grounds of the National Cathedral in Washington (DC), whose central tower was cited above, there is also 15-note tubular chime in the chapel of St.Alban's School.
WASHINGTON - NC/1 : USA - DC trad WASHINGTON - NC/2 : USA - DC ring WASHINGTON - NC/3 : USA - DC tubular
On the main campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, there is a 61-bell concert carillon in a freestanding tower, a 47-bell practice carillon on top of the Music School Building, and a 14-bell chime in a clocktower on the Student Building.
BLOOMINGTON - 1 : USA - IN trad - 65 BLOOMINGTON - 2 : USA - IN trad - 47 BLOOMINGTON - 3 : USA - IN chime
The University of Texas in Austin has both a 56-bell carillon (enlarged from a chime) and an 11-bell automatic chime.
AUSTIN - UT/1 : USA - TX chime AUSTIN - UT/2 : USA - TX trad
The Glenwood Mission Inn (now called simply Mission Inn) of Riverside (CA) has a collection of conventional and oriental bells scattered throughout the building and grounds, as well as a 25-note tubular chime in a belfry on top of the building.
RIVERSIDE - MI/1 : USA - CA coll RIVERSIDE - MI/2 : USA - CA tubular chime
At the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Monastery in Jordanville (NY), a Russian-style zvon was assembled from second-hand bells (mostly American) collected over a period of many years; it now hangs in a gabled balcony on the monastery church. More recently, a complete (and much heavier) zvon was installed in a belfry atop the gatehouse for the central complex of buildings.
JORDANVILLE - 1 : USA - NY zvon (old) JORDANVILLE - 2 : USA - NY zvon (new)
At the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadelupe, Mexico City, there are two modern sets of bells, as well as some old Spanish bells. One of the modern sets, made of major-third bells, is in the center section of a freestanding astronomical clock tower. The other set, mounted on a bell wheel, is in the south section of the same clock tower.
MEXICO CITY - SMG/1 : MEXICO non-trad MEXICO CITY - SMG/2 : MEXICO chime
Berea College (KY) has a 10-bell chime in the tower of Phelps Stokes Chapel and a 56-bell carillon in the tower of the Draper Building.
BEREA - 1 : USA - KY chime BEREA - 2 : USA - KY trad
At Miami University of Ohio, in Oxford, there is a 14-bell chime (relocated from its original place of installation) as well as a 50-bell non-traditional carillon.
OXFORD - 1 : USA - OH chime OXFORD - 2 : USA - OH non-trad
The University of the South, in Sewanee (TN), has a carillon of 56 bells in the chapel tower and a ring of 8 bells in the clocktower of nearby Breslin Hall.
SEWANEE - 1 : USA - TN trad SEWANEE - 2 : USA - TN ring
Coxhall Park, in Carmel, Indiana, has two identical automatic carillons of 47 bells in matching campaniles, both constructed in 2006.
CARMEL - 1 : USA - IN non-trad (west) CARMEL - 2 : USA - IN non-trad (east)
The University of Illinois, in Urbana, has had a 15-bell chime in the tower of Altgeld Hall since 1920. In 2008, the university installed a 48-bell automatic carillon in a freestanding tower.
URBANA - 1 : USA - IL chime URBANA - 2 : USA - IL non-trad
The University of Washington, in Seattle, has a carillon of 47 bells atop Kane Hall and a ring of 8 bells in the tower of nearby Gerberding Hall.
SEATTLE - UW/2 : USA - WA ring SEATTLE - UW/3 : USA - WA trad
The Sunderlin Bell Foundry, in Ruther Glen, Virginia, has announced plans to install a ring somewhere on the foundry grounds, possibly in 2023 or 2024, and has built a transportable carillon in 2022.
RUTHER GLEN - 1 : USA - VA ring RUTHER GLEN - 2/mobile : USA - VA trad
At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, there is a carillon on the Main Campus and a carillon on the North Campus, both in purpose-built towers.
ANN ARBOR - UM/1 : USA - MI trad (Main) ANN ARBOR - UM/2 : USA - MI trad (North)
Grand Valley State University (MI) has a carillon on its main campus in Allendale and another on its satellite campus in Grand Rapids, both in purpose-built towers.
ALLENDALE : USA - MI trad GRAND RAPIDS - GVSU : USA - MI trad
When St.Mark's Episcopal Church moved from downtown New Canaan (CT) to the suburbs, the old building and its chime were sold, and the new building was equipped with a carillon. As in most such cases, both instruments are represented by a single entry in the database.
NEW CANAAN : USA - CT trad
When Furman University occupied its original campus in downtown Greenville (SC), it had a 10-bell chime in a belltower attached to a building. Although the chime was apparently scrapped (the building and belltower having been demolished), a freestanding reproduction of the tower was constructed on the new suburban campus, and a 59-bell carillon was installed in it.
GREENVILLE - FU/1 : USA - SC [chime] GREENVILLE - FU/2 : USA - SC trad
In 1936, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary of Evanston (IL) acquired an American-made chime which had previously been in Grace Episcopal Church, Chicago. In 1954, that was replaced by the present carillon.
EVANSTON - SW : USA - IL trad
At the McDonogh School (MD), an old American chime was scrapped and a modern carillon installed in its place.
MCDONOGH : USA - MD trad
At the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the name "The Denny Chimes" has been associated with three different things in the same bell tower - first an 18-note tubular chime, then an electronic device, and finally the present 25-bell non-traditional carillon.
TUSCALOOSA - UA/1 : USA - AL [tubular chime] TUSCALOOSA - UA/2 : USA - AL non-trad
At St.Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City, a fire in 1905 destroyed the previous building and its chime. A larger chime was installed in the new building, and recently that was enlarged to carillon size.
NEW YORK - STT : USA - NY trad
At the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston (MA), which is the "Mother Church" of the Christian Science denomination, a 15-note tubular chime was installed in the original tower in the 1890s. When the building was expanded in the early 1900s, a conventional chime was installed in the "west tower" (actually in the cupola over the great dome, though there are two low towers on the west side); the tubular chime became disused, and eventually was dismantled and stored. In 1984, an 18-bell chime (potentially expandable to a 24-bell carillon) was installed in the original tower (now called the east tower). More recently, the tubular bells were sold to a site in Australia.
BOSTON - FCC/1 : USA - MA tubular chime BOSTON - FCC/2 : USA - MA chime, 1907 BOSTON - FCC/3 : USA - MA chime, 1984
At Smith College in Northampton (MA), a chime in the tower of College Hall was gradually expanded and revised to form a carillon. By the time it reached its present size of 47 bells, all of the original 12 bells were gone. Independently, a ring of 8 bells was installed in a purpose-built tower elsewhere on campus.
NORTHAMPTON - 1 : USA - MA trad NORTHAMPTON - 2 : USA - MA ring
At Baylor University, Waco (TX), the adminstration building originally housed a 25-note Deagan tubular chime. When that was replaced by the present 48-bell carillon, it was first put into storage, then sold to its present owner in Uniontown, Ohio. Elsewhere on the Baylor campus, a 25-bell non-traditional carillon was installed more recently.
UNIONTOWN : USA - OH tubular chime WACO - BU/2 : USA - TX trad WACO - BU/3 : USA - TX non-trad
The University of Chicago (IL) has a 72-bell carillon, a chime of 10 bells (formerly a ring) and a ring of 10 bells.
CHICAGO - MT/1 : USA - IL chime CHICAGO - MT/2 : USA - IL ring CHICAGO - UC : USA - IL trad
Palmer College (formerly School) of Chiropractic, in Davenport (IA), purchased a set of 9 bells which is presumed to have formed a chime. In the same year, the school purchased a 16-note Deagan tubular chime, which it subsequently replaced with an electronic device. The locations which these instruments occupied have not been determined.
DAVENPORT - P/1 : USA - IA chime DAVENPORT - P/2 : USA - IA [tubular chime]
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This page was created 2005/09/22 and last revised 2024/07/31.
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