Altgeld Concerts, Tours, On Hold For Some Time
The chime tower at the University of Illinois' Altgeld Hall Jeff Bossert/Illinois Public Media
For decades, the chimes at the University of Illinois’ Altgeld Tower were open for tours and featured in daily noon hour concerts, playing songs like "Hail To The Orange." But that’s all over for the foreseeable future until safety repairs can be made to the tower. Meanwhile, some of the volunteers who have been giving the concerts question why it’s taken administrators so long to make a decision.
One player, Cody Jones, says a U of I compliance officer initially stopped tours of the Altgeld Tower last October, but chimes players were never officially notified.
“The sign on the door was left, saying that we gave tours, and we continually asked Tomaszewski to announce the shutdown in some form," he said. "Either send out a press release, or go through public affairs, or even a sign on the door would have been something. If the tower was unsafe for visitors, then that's something that needs to be told to the chimes players in a very concrete way."
Jones was referring to Associate Provost for Capital Planning Matthew Tomaszewski, who made the announcement official on March 19, stating the Altgeld Tower would be closed for an undetermined length of time.
A sign on the chime tower door at the U of I's Altgeld Hall indicates the site is currently closed for tours.
He says the university is now waiting for cost estimates for safety upgrades in the tower space as part of a state capital bill funding request.
"Masonry and brick work, and things like that are cause for concern, and that's why we don't have a definitive timeline yet," he said. "We're having those inspections occur to tell us - just how serious are those issues? And so then it becomes a question of - should people be in that space, and when can they return?"
Tomaszewski says that figure is separate from the estimated $90-million needed for renovations to classroom space at Altgeld and Illini Halls, also part of a capital funding request. He says Altgeld Hall has been at the top of that list for years.
For now, the Altgeld chimes are limited to automated tones each quarter-hour.
The Altgeld Tower bells were dedicated in 1920.
Chimesmaster Sue Wood retired from the volunteer position at end of 2016, but Tomaszewski says she's involved in conversations about the tower's future, and the U of I is making arrangements to honor Wood at Altgeld when the work is complete.