Students may be familiar with the chimes of the LSU Memorial Tower that go off every quarter-hour and the landmark that crowns the Parade Ground. However, for the last few semesters, the landmark of LSU has been covered by scaffolding and gates.
The LSU Memorial Tower has been a part of the campus since its construction in the 1920’s as a World War I memorial. Now the Memorial Tower has undergone a renovation on the inside and outside, restoring it to its original standing.
“The plaza is completely pulled up and resurfaced,” project manager Paul Favaloro said.
Construction on the Memorial Tower started in 2018 and finished in the fall of 2020. This was the first time the Memorial Tower had major work done since it was first built. The bottom floor has been renovated and there are plans to make it into a military museum.
“The bell tower got a complete facelift — I mean, the exterior skin of the tower was renewed, refurbished, and there were a lot of small fractures that were in the skin and in the arrogant finish that were all repaired,” Favaloro said. “Inside the building, there was an entire gut renovation where we restored it to its original design; with some improvements, of course.”
The plaza around the Memorial Tower was repaved with new bricks and opened up to make it a space for future events.
“There are three different parts to the project: there is the Memorial Tower restoration, there’s the plaza renovation and restoration and then inside the tower and there is the display for a project that is going to display all kinds of artifacts and create the museum,” Favaloro said.
The Memorial Tower also received a new clock face that illuminates campus at night.
“At night, the face of the clock lights up and you can see it pretty far across campus,” Mechanical engineering sophomore Adam Short said. “Just that view of the illuminated tower is something I find really nice, especially now that construction is done, and you can walk around that area.”
The Memorial Tower was scheduled to have its grand opening in November, before COVID-19 affected all events happening on campus according to Assistant Vice President of LSU Planning, Design and Construction Roger Husser.
“What I value the most is our ability to ensure its longevity by restoring it, repairing it and ensuring it. We’re making sure it doesn’t become in a dilapidated state,” Husser said. “I am very excited to be able to do that for one of our most iconic buildings.”