TAMPA
“FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS”
Amidst the quiet calm of a
cemetery, the sound of chimes would seem especially riveting. Architects must have shared that
impression, as structures housing bells are prominent features at certain cemeteries and memorial parks.
Sometimes a columbarium is
part of such a structure. At the
Garden of Memories, the Chimes Tower is a focal point central to the
grounds.
It exceeds five stories,
crowning the first columbarium for cremated remains ever built by a cemetery.
Similar formations in
other parts of the country serve the same purpose, to varying degrees. The Chimes
Tower at the Whitemarsh Memorial Park in Ambler, Pennsylvania is a commanding attraction,
though access to the 174-foot edifice these days is restricted due to safety
concerns. Glass-fronted niches
seen upon entering can be visited only during office hours, as a key to the
building is required for entry. People are no longer permitted to use the elevator to reach
the top. Against the exterior back wall of the tower, though, there are additional
columbarium niches that can be accessed at any time.
Nowadays, one might encounter
a columbarium in a churchyard or on a college campus. At the Citadel military
school in Charleston, South Carolina, it is situated in the campus bell tower that
houses a carillon made in the Netherlands. A wall was built in the lower part of the structure to accommodate
four hundred niches with enough room in each for two urns. Members of the Class
of 1957 initiated the project, and the columbarium was dedicated in November
2007 during the school’s Homecoming activities. By purchasing niche spaces, alumni help maintain the
carillon – one of the western hemisphere’s largest collection of Dutch bells,
featuring a set of fifty-nine that are played by a keyboard in the bell tower. This
source of income also funds scholarships for students who play the instrument, and
some of it is pegged for construction of a second floor in the edifice to provide
practice space for those interested in learning the art. The bell tower housing the cremated
remains of alumni is now considered to be a true memorial.
Under such circumstances as
these, “resting in peace” may be amidst melodic interludes!
