Harkness Tower at Yale

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 By Rachel Martins 

Yale, the influential Ivy-League university, is known as one of the country's most famous and prestigious universities. With its distinctive neo-gothic architecture, Harkness Memorial Tower stands prominently in the center of campus; located on High Street, it is a symbol of Yale and New Haven as a whole. Standing at 216 feet with nine stories and 294 steps to reach the top, the statue is truly an architectural landmark, and the height is a representation of the influence Yale has in the community as a whole.

The looming tower made of stone blocks and steel is an extraordinary sight that immediately captures one's attention when strolling the campus or nearby in New Haven. There are four sizable blue clock faces with the carillon's bells behind them in the center to be seen at every angle around the structure. Alongside the clock faces are decorative elements to accentuate the structure. The university's students will often take time out of their day to admire the memorial tower. The tower, built in 1907, rises over all other buildings surrounding it. The tower was designed by James Gamble Rogers and funded by Anna M. Harkness. Harkness chose to invest in the tower for her suddenly deceased son, Charles William Harkness, who graduated from Yale. Her other son also served as Yale's largest benefactor. In addition, Anna M. Harkness also funded the Memorial Quadrangle. The family was a charitable donor to the university and provided the it with a monument that is symbolic not only to Yale, but to the town of New Haven as well. The tower is large and has a view of New Haven's city-scape. The courtyard outside allows people to listen to the sound of music from the building and serves as an area of relaxation. 

Beyond the structural integrity of the monument, the building serves a musical purpose for the campus. The carillon within the tower contains 54 bells, all pitched in B. Originally, the tower only contained 10 bells in 1921. That was until in 1964 when Miss. Florence S. Marcy donated the remaining forty four bells to create a 4.5 octave carillon. The smallest bells weigh only 26 pounds whereas the heaviest is 13,400 pounds. The total weight is an astonishing 43 tons. The cabin to play the bells is accessible about halfway up the tower behind the tower's clock. The organ-like instrument claps the bells to create music; the carillon can range chromatically from a concert F sharp to a concert C. The music echoes within the structure's walls and its powerful noise can be heard throughout the campus. In the tower concerts performed, guests worldwide come to play the tower's grand carillon. Students play the bells twice a day and about 100 a year have the opportunity to travel around the globe and play other similar carillons and exercise their exceptional musical abilities. The carillon is an undeniably powerful instrument. Its sound radiates through the air. The music is an addition to the power of the building. The structure looks over the university, but the music echoes through the air, adding another unique quality to the building.

More recently, the university has faced criticism over its founder, who was a prominent figure in the slave trade. There are eight figures within the towers, the eight worthies, including Elihu Yale, the university's primary benefactor, and John C. Calhoun, an eminent Yale alum, nineteenth-century political figure, and pro-slavery advocate. Numerous paintings and symbols on campus have served to idolize Elihu Yale and are now being questioned in light of his connections to slavery. One painting of Yale alongside a slave in a dog collar was recently taken down from a Yale boardroom. These images depicting Yale have received backlash along with Calhoun (who also appears on the tower), representing broader currents of the nation's reckoning with racism. This calls into question if Yale will choose to veil the Harkness figures as they represent a troubling history for numerous individuals. The images can alienate both students and those in the communities whose ancestors were oppressed by figures like Yale. Across the country, numerous statues, figures, and monuments of once proclaimed figures are being veiled or removed as the recall questions not only of slavery but white supremacy and the failure to completely reckon with the legacy of race in America. Although the tower itself may stand strong, Elihu Yale's reputation and legacy are being called into question. Therefore, the symbols subject to change even if it appears unlikely that the university's name will change. For now, aside from these complicated and haunting questions, the carillon bells of Harkness Tower continue to peal among the figures of Yale, Calhoun, and others, into the air, and across the city.

Image of Harkness Tower, courtesy of the author


Bibliography

Banerjee, Dibyendu. “Harkness Tower, Connecticut, USA - Historical Columns and Towers.” Tutorial At Home, January 11, 2019. https://www.tutorialathome.in/history/harkness-tower-connecticut-usa.(Acessed 10/30/20).

Betivenga, Joseph.” If Columbus must go, so should Yale.” The CT Mirror. June 25, 2020. https://ctmirror.org/category/ct-viewpoints/if-columbus-must-go-so-should-yale/ ( Accessed 10/18/20).


Elihu Yale Collection (MS 566). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/12/resources/3101. (Accessed 10-20-20)


Harkness Tower. Accessed November 18, 2020. https://www.triposo.com/poi/W__139753867. (Acessed 10/30/20).

Kristin. “The Lord of the Rings: Harkness Tower.” Yale College Undergraduate Admissions, July, 25, 2016. https://admissions.yale.edu/bulldogs-blogs/kristen/2016/07/25/lord-rings-harkness-tower.(Accessed 11-4-20).


Palvilonis, Valerie. “‘Cancel Yale’? Not Likely.” Yale News. June, 28, 2020. https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/06/28/cancel-yale-not-likely/ (Accessed 10/18/20).

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