Storke Tower

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Storke tower at UCSB.
Storke tower at UCSB.
Storke Tower and its reflection in the lagoon.
Storke Tower and its reflection in the lagoon.

Storke Tower is a campanile (bell and clock tower) located on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara in the United States. Dedicated for use on September 28, 1969, the 61-bell carillon tower stands 175 ft (53 m) tall. The bells range in size from 13 to 4,793 pounds , with the largest bell carrying the University Seal and University Motto. At every hour, an electronic control system plays the Westminster Quarters. Prior to a technical failure in late 2007, the system also struck a sequence at 10 minutes to every hour which spelled out the University motto, "Let There Be Light" (with each of the 10 largest bells assigned a letter of the alphabet); however, this function is now absent.

Storke Tower is the tallest steel/cement structure in the tri-country area. The tower is named for Thomas Storke, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and U.S. senator who resided in Santa Barbara and helped found UCSB. Situated beneath Storke Tower is the Storke Communications Plaza, which houses the university paper, the Daily Nexus, the radio station, KCSB and the yearbook office, La Cumbre Yearbook.

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