TAMPA, Fla. — The University of Tampa is about to complete its new bell tower sculpture.
The private university's bell tower is an Ars Sonora, a specific type of bell tower crafted by the France-based Paccard Bell Foundry. According to UT, this Ars Sonora will be the largest in the world and the first built in the U.S.
"This grand musical sculpture will soar over 105 feet in the center of the campus next to the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values," the university said on its website.
"The sculpture will form a striking focal point as part of a park-like plaza for students to reflect, gather and interact," UT continued.
The tower will have 63 hand-crafted bronze bells. The university says the Ars Sonora was first constructed in France to test the sculpture, then disassembled and sent to Tampa for its final construction.
While the Ars Sonora will be "topped off" on Feb. 4 and the public will be able to get its first look at the still-under-construction musical tower.
The university says the sculpture still needs its electronic capabilities and will be extensively tested before it is officially completed. That completion is expected later this year, according to UT.
Funding for the tower was donated by the Sykes Family.
UT says the bells are connected to a "sensitive" piano keyboard. Each key controls a "dynamic striker" on a specific bell, "allowing musicians to play the Ars Sonora with all the nuance and emotion an artist can provide."
The world-famous Paccard Bell Foundry has been owned and operated by the Paccard Family for eight generations, UT says. It is responsible for creating 57 replicas of the "Liberty Bell" in 1950 based on a commission from the U.S. government.
The university says the bell tower is built to withstand wind speeds of more than 160 mph.
And, because Tampa is the "lightning capital of the world," UT says the tower has multiple lines of defense against lightning. For example, the outside of the structure is designed to be a lightning rod and is connected to a "large continuous grounding loop."
For more information about the Ars Sonora, click here.
The construction of the Ars Sonora has been documented by UT. To watch more about the sculpture's creation, click here.