*Location:

   Memorial Tower
   The Grosse Pointe Memorial Church
     (Presbyterian/PCUSA)
   Lake Shore Road at McKinley Place
   Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, USA
   LL: N 42.38675, W 82.89915

Site locator map

*Carillonist:

   Eric Whitmer
   T: 530-515-9503
   E: ewhitmer@umich.edu

   1953 ded. Percival Price   (d.)
   1952-77 (local volunteers)
   1977-93 William De Turk   (C;d.)
   1993-2016 Phyllis Clark Webb   (C)
      (1925-2016)
   2016-23 Michelle S. Lam   (A)
   2023-24 Carson Landry

*Contact:

   Grosse Pointe Memorial Church   (Su)
   Attn:  Carillonneurs
   16 Lake Shore Road
   Grosse Pointe Farms, MI  48236-3725
   T: 313-882-5330   F: 313-882-7675
   E: Webform @ gpmchurch.org

*Schedule:

   Before & after Sunday services twice
   a month

*Remarks:

   American standard console installed
   in 1976; practice clavier in the tower.
   Original G&J clock, quarter- and hour-
   strike drive mechanisms and electro-
   pneumatic chime action all intact but
   disconnected; their transmissions
   vanished when expanded to a carillon.
   Major components remain in keyboard
   room, just below the belfry.
   Added bass bell was cast for Meeks,
   Watson & Co. by Taylor.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 48 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is C# in the middle octave
   Keyboard range:     C C   /    C C 24
   Transposition is up  1 semitone(s), i.e., from C to C#
   There is one missing bass semitone
   The presence or absence of a practice console is unknown
   The instrument was enlarged in 2015
     with bells made by Taylor       
   Prior history:
     In 1952, the instrument was enlarged to 47 bells
       by Petit & Fritsen
       Keyboard range was:     C C   /    C C 23
       There were two missing bass semitones
     In 1927, the instrument was begun with  8 bells
       by Gillett & Johnston
       There were no added semitones
   No auxiliary mechanisms known
   Tower details: 
     Height of console:                 15 meters above ground
     Height of lowest level of bells:   21 meters above ground
     Height of highest level of bells:  23 meters above ground
     Belfry openness:  50%
   Year of latest technical information source is 2019

The church Website has a downloadable PDF about the carillon (under Worship > Music).

News article on reinstallation of the GPMC carillon, with three clickable photos.

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Gillett & Johnston bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Taylor bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by weight.
Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all North American concert class carillons by year of completion.

Other concert carillons with similar keyboard ranges.

Index to all traditional carillons in MI.

Index to all tower bell instruments in MI.

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2024/08/07
   and on technical data last updated on 2019/06/06