Beaumont Tower

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Michigan State University campus
Beaumont Tower
Beaumont Tower
Use Carillon
Style Collegiate Gothic
Erected 1928
Location Between the Student Union and Main Library
Namesake John W. Beaumont, class of 1882
Architect Donaldson-Meier
Number of bells in carillon 49
Website Beaumont Tower Website
Beaumont Tower marks the site of College Hall.
Beaumont Tower marks the site of College Hall.

Beaumont Tower (1929), designed by the architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier‎, is a structure on the campus of Michigan State University. The 105 foot tall tower marks the site of College Hall - the first building in America erected for instruction in scientific agriculture.

During its dedication ceremony the president of the university described Beaumont Tower as "a meeting or trysting place of the students, student groups or organizations, the center of all the activities of this institution."

the "Sower"
the "Sower"

The Tower features "The Sower", an Art Deco base-relief by sculptor Lee Lawrie (1922), with its inscription, "Whatsoever a Man Soweth". This serves as a tribute to MSU's origins as an agricultural college and the seminal nature of knowledge.

Beaumont also houses a full carillon, with 49 bells. Free concerts on the lawn are available in the summer. Beaumont Tower is one of the most recognizable and most photographed landmarks on the MSU campus. Its likeness as a line drawing is used on MSU letterhead.

The most popular traditions surrounding Beaumont Tower involve kissing, either in the shadow of the tower during the day, or at midnight in the Beaumont courtyard, to prove one is a "true Spartan." It is said that a Spartan is destined to marry a sweetheart if they kiss under Beaumont Tower. Additionally, the carillon tower's creepy nighttime appearance has sparked superstitions concerning its "true" or "hidden" purpose. In 2004, the feature-length independent film "The Bells of Beaumont Tower" from Spartan City Productions detailed the fictional account of students researching the connection between the tower's construction and a wave of missing undergrads.

  • Hendry, Fay, L., Balthazar Korab, photographs, (1980), Outdoor Sculpture of Lansing, iota press, Okemos, Michgan
  • Kuhn, Madison. (1955). Michigan State: The First Hundred Years, 1855-1955. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. ISBN 0-87013-222-9. 
  • Miller, Whitney. (2002). East Lansing: Collegeville Revisited (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-2045-4. 
  • Stanford, Linda O. (2002). MSU Campus: Buildings, Places, Spaces. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. ISBN 0-87013-631-3. 

Coordinates: 42°43′55.13″N, 84°28′55.75″W

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