Mueller Tower is a bell tower on the campus of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was built in 1949 and is named for alumnus and donor Ralph S. Mueller.[2]
| Mueller Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°49′12.5″N 96°42′09.3″W / 40.820139°N 96.702583°W |
| Completed | 1949 |
| Cost | $90,000 ($1.19 million in 2024[1]) |
| Owner | University of Nebraska–Lincoln |
| Height | 84 feet |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | George Kuska Jr. |
| Architecture firm | Meginnis and Schaumberg |
History
editIn the mid-1940s, Ralph S. Mueller, an 1898 alumnus of the University of Nebraska and the founder of the Cleveland-based Mueller Electric Company, expressed his desire to give a gift to the school that incorporated electronics.[3] Chancellor Reuben G. Gustavson suggested a new bell tower, which NU had lacked since University Hall was demolished in 1925.[4] Mueller agreed and donated $90,000 (equivalent to $1,189,000 in 2024) to the project, which would incorporate finely tuned electric rods instead of a traditional array of bells.[4] The system is controlled from the basement of nearby Andrews Hall.
The eighty-four-foot Mueller Tower is an octagonal shape with a red-brick interior surrounded by an Indiana Limestone exterior.[2] It was dedicated on November 4, 1949 with 2,000 people in attendance, including Mueller, Gustavson, university president Harold S. Wilson, University of Kansas president Deane Waldo Malott, and carillonneur Arthur Lynds Bigelow.[5]
Restorations
editThe bell tower was cordoned off in 2006 as the limestone began to collapse and the university lacked funding to restore it.[6] By then, it had become "one of the most recognizable structures on campus," and officials vowed to restore it shortly.[6]
In 2025, NU began a $1.5-million restoration of Mueller Tower designed to "preserve its structural integrity and historic character for the future."[7] As part of the restoration, each of the tower's 1,700 stones were scanned and catalogued, identifying seventy-eight to be fully replaced.[7]
Use
editThe tower's music, initially played by keyboard, is now broadcast by eight speakers which play taped recordings or live music.[8] As late as 1985, a student played the keyboard prior to football games at the top of the tower.[9] For prerecorded music, an Embassy Digital Autobell Carillon machine is used.[2]
The tower has been used to commemorate special occasions, including the sixteenth anniversary of the AIDS epidemic on December 4, 1996, three days after World AIDS Day.[10] The system broadcasts music selected randomly from a predetermined list of approximately fifty songs at the top of the hour and at twenty-three minutes past the hour.[2]
References
edit- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Madison Bell (April 9, 2015). "Behind the Scenes: Mueller Tower". Nebraska Today. University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- ^ "Tradition-Inspiring Symbol Becomes New Landmark on N. U. Campus". The Lincoln Star. October 30, 1949. p. 35. Retrieved May 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Mueller Tower". UNL Historic Buildings. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- ^ "2,000 See N. U.'s Mueller Tower Dedicated". The Lincoln Star. November 5, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved May 26, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Melissa Lee (June 6, 2006). "Repairs needed, but bell is not tolling any time soon for tower". Lincoln Journal Star. pp. 1B, 3B. Retrieved May 26, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Chris Dunker (May 30, 2025). "UNL's iconic Mueller Tower getting a $1.5M 'tune-up'". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ Mary Kay Roth (September 15, 1996). "For Whom Do They Toll? Towering chimes and bells have the whole city ringing". Lincoln Journal Star. pp. 1J, 3J. Retrieved May 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Leslie Boellstorff (October 6, 1985). "Corkill puts life into Mueller carillon tower's music". The Lincoln Star. p. 23. Retrieved May 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bells to toll for AIDS". Lincoln Journal Star. December 3, 1996. p. 1. Retrieved May 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.