A Legend in Stone

The Memorial Belltower is one of NC State’s best-known symbols and among its most Hallowed Places, but how much do you really know about its extraordinary story?

The Memorial Belltower, its cornerstone dating to 1921, was built to honor the sacrifice of NC State alumni who lost their lives to military service in World War I. The Shrine Room, as the space at the tower’s base is known, contains a plaque listing their names. Now one of our campus’s most Hallowed Places, the tower stands as the best-known symbol of our university, a landmark and gateway to campus. It has become a place of reflection as well as celebration, bringing together generations of the Wolfpack in one iconic location.

Powered by a lead gift from the Henry family to the university’s Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign, an amazing 2019-21 completion and restoration project added 55 bells, at long last, as well as other improvements. Throughout the project, we shared the story of the Belltower’s history, makeover, philanthropic support and more — a story of people that was a century in the making. The following are some of those important features.

“Memorial”
Belltower

The Belltower’s primary function is to honor NC State alumni who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces during World War I.

Learn about these patriotic Pack members and their impact on our university, nation and world.

Massive
Monument

The Belltower is made of 1,400 tons of granite set on a 700-ton concrete base. Caring for it all is a truly monumental undertaking.

Be part of the effort to preserve and protect our “Forever Belltower.”

Graduation Destination

The Belltower is NC State’s most photographed landmark, largely due to the thousands of graduation photos taken there each year.

See some of the snapshots captured at the Belltower and share your own.

At Long Last, Bells

For a century, NC State’s Memorial Belltower was missing something vitally important. That all changed in the summer of 2020 thanks to the hard work, dedication and financial support of our Pack.

A crane preparing to lower a bell into the Belltower.

The First Five

Learn all about the first five bells cast for the Memorial Belltower, and about their donors, through this collection of first-person accounts and family memories.

Ring Those Bells: A Carillon Q&A

Find out what it takes to play a carillon from the first person to perform on the one in NC State’s Memorial Belltower, carillonneur Tom Gurin.

A Lifetime of Music, a Legacy at NC State

The Miriam Bailey Gardner Music Scholarship Endowment provides merit-based scholarships to Wolfpack music students in memory of a Belltower carillonneur with deep university ties.

The Memorial Belltower on a cloudy day — When it comes to the Memorial Belltower, seeing is believing — as this tribute video proves.

All in Good Chime

As a new chapter of Belltower history begins, alumni carillonneurs share a few of their favorite memories of playing concerts as students.

A handwritten list of songs which were played on the carillon on Jan 26, 1979.

the Shrine Room plaque in the Memorial Belltower

A Sacred Event in a Shining New Shrine Room

Recent renovations to the Memorial Belltower at Henry Square have made the university’s ROTC gold bar ceremony even more memorable — all while paying tribute to the fallen alumni the structure stands for.

The Belltower with flowers in the foreground, during a sunny day.

NC State Honors Veterans in a Big Belltower Way

Each year, NC State honors those who have served in the U.S. armed forces via a special ceremony on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The 2021 event was particularly special, as it was the first since the Memorial Belltower’s restoration.

Marching Cadets and their families and friends reunite at the Memorial Belltower to celebrate the arrival of the fraternity’s special bell

Marching Into History

For NC State’s Marching Cadet Fraternity, the Memorial Belltower is an abiding reminder of those who serve and have served. Now, through the Cadets’ special bell, the fraternity’s contributions to the university will ring out for others to hear far into the future.

Memorial Belltower Virtual Tour

See the Legend in Stone like never before — from the inside, around and even above — via cutting-edge mapping technology.

Explore the Memorial Belltower

An Extraordinary Gift for an Extraordinary Place

An incredible gift from Bill (’81) and Frances Henry during NC State’s recent Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign enabled the university to finally complete the Memorial Belltower — including the installation of the full complement of 55 bells, carillon and interior stairs as originally designed.

Keep the Faith, Finish the Tower

Mike Thompson, Matt Robbins and other passionate NC State alumni pushed for more than a decade to see the Memorial Belltower completed. In 2021, their dreams were realized with the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the renovated and restored landmark.

Drone footage of the Belltower bells being installed — Watch as bells were finally lowered into the Memorial Belltower’s belfry after a century of waiting.

A Hundred Years, a Thousand Words

Photos of the Memorial Belltower’s reopening and the dedication of Henry Square help tell the story of this extraordinary part of NC State’s campus.

Chancellor Randy Woodson and the Henry family cutting the ribbon dedicating the Henry Square and reopening the Memorial Belltower. — Chancellor Randy Woodson and the Henry family cut the ribbon dedicating the Henry Square and reopening the Memorial Belltower.

An audience gathering to witness the reopening of the Memorial Belltower and dedication of Henry Square. — An audience gathers — in adherence to social-distancing guidelines — to witness the reopening of the Memorial Belltower and dedication of Henry Square.

Members of the NC State Army ROTC presetting the nation’s colors during the opening ceremony. — Members of the NC State Army ROTC preset the nation’s colors during the opening ceremony.

Chancellor Randy Woodson telling the story of the extraordinary commitment to the Memorial Belltower. — Chancellor Randy Woodson tells the story of the Memorial Belltower’s extraordinary construction, dedication, restoration and rededication.

The Memorial Belltower exhibiting real bells in the tower’s belfry. — Visitors to the Memorial Belltower can now see real bells in the tower’s belfry.

Class of 2022 Michael Gardo talking about the 55 new bells that make up the Memorial Belltower’s carillon. — Michael Gardo ’22 talks about the 55 new bells that make up the Memorial Belltower’s carillon.

A stone in Henry Square which named in appreciation for the generosity of Bill and Frances Henry. — Henry Square is named for the family of Bill and Frances Henry, both of whom gave generously to the Belltower’s restoration project.

An open space showing the location where the carillon’s inaugural performance and reception took place. — A reception was held for the reopening and dedication attendees immediately following the ceremony. The carillon’s inaugural performance took place concurrently.

The Henry family posing for a photo on a balcony at the Aloft Hotel. — The Henry family poses for a photo on a balcony at the Aloft Hotel

Class of 2018 Areon Mobasher singing the National Anthem to open the ceremony. — Areon Mobasher ’18 sings the National Anthem to open the ceremony.

Class of 2022 Commander Michelle Parkington recounting the memorial aspects of the Memorial Belltower’s history. — Commander Michelle Parkington ’22 recounts the ”memorial“ aspects of the Memorial Belltower’s history.

Class of 2021 CAS graduate Carmen Bollman explaining to the audience what the Belltower has meant to her. — Carmen Bollman ’21, a graduate of the College of Agriculture and Sciences, tells the audience what the Belltower has meant to her during her time at NC State.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin discussing how the Memorial Belltower has been a beacon for many over the last century. — Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin discusses how the Memorial Belltower has been a beacon for many over the last century.

Bill Henry reading the plaque commemorating the NC State alumni who died while serving in the U.S. military during World War I. — Bill Henry reads the plaque commemorating the NC State alumni who died while serving in the U.S. military during World War I.

A 2021 NC State grad standing in front of the red-illuminated Memorial Belltower with his parents. — A 2021 NC State grad stands in front of the red-illuminated Memorial Belltower with his parents, a moment made possible because of the Belltower’s recent renovation, restoration and completion.

Help Power the Pack

Proceeds from the Belltower Collection line of clothing, inspired by the Memorial Belltower, go to support NC State students via a special scholarship endowment.

Shop Now

Frank Thompson, left, and Vance Sykes portraits next to the Memorial Belltower

War and Remembrance

Friendship and sacrifice laid the foundation for NC State’s Memorial Belltower. Learn the story that inspired the university’s iconic landmark.

The Belltower Gets Brighter

Workers recently completed a multistep process to pull dirt and impurities out of the granite structure, leaving a visibly brighter, more radiant surface.

The clappers attached to each bell in the Belltower

Timeless, With a Modern Touch

Throughout NC State’s recent Belltower construction project, preserving the memorial’s historic integrity, while modernizing it where appropriate, remained a top priority for the university.

the memorial belltower standing behind trees

The Tower Team

Dozens of experts participated in the Memorial Belltower’s restoration and completion, many of them graduates of NC State. Meet some of the Pack members who helped work on the university’s most iconic symbol.

A Century in the Making

Learn how the team that planned and executed the Memorial Belltower’s completion and restoration project worked hard to maintain the site’s historic integrity and build on the work of those who came (decades) before them.

Listen as Dr. Tom Stafford, NC State’s vice chancellor for student affairs emeritus and the de facto historian for the university’s Memorial Belltower, discusses this hallowed landmark’s history from inside the carillon room itself.

Sharing a Key to NC State’s Past

Whether telling surprising stories while leading tours of the Memorial Belltower or unlocking its door for surprise photos, Dr. Tom Stafford, NC State’s vice chancellor for student affairs emeritus, serves as a keeper of the flame of Wolfpack spirit.

Dr. Tom Stafford speaking to a tour group in the shrine room. — Tom Stafford’s Memorial Belltower tours include a stop in the Shrine Room. Photo by Marc Hall.

A Symbol of the Pack

For students and alumni, the ritual of placing class rings inside the Memorial Belltower overnight commemorates hard work and marks a connection to the larger NC State community.

The Memorial Belltower as seen from Holladay Hall

Bygone Days at the Belltower

These photos of the Memorial Belltower, taken before its recent renovations, show its importance to the NC State community — then as always.

Ringing True

Emily Caporali has been making Belltower memories for years. Dr. Tom Stafford, NC State’s vice chancellor for student affairs emeritus, helped her fiancé bring them full circle.

Spring 2021 graduates enjoy a photo session at the newly restored Memorial Belltower. Photo by Becky Kirkland.

Picture-Perfect Belltower

Who’s responsible for making sure the university’s most-photographed landmark is always ready for its close-up?

The top of the belltower against the early evening sky.

Celebrate the Belltower

As we continue to honor what this Hallowed Place has meant to the Wolfpack community, we invite you to submit your Belltower photos!

A 2021 NC State grad stands in front of the red-illuminated Memorial Belltower with his parents

Light It Red

When the lights come on at the Memorial Belltower, you know something extraordinary has happened for the Wolfpack.

A Legend in Stone

“Memorial”
Belltower

Massive
Monument

Graduation Destination

At Long Last, Bells