Renderings of the proposed bell tower at IU.
Renderings of the proposed bell tower at IU.
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INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana University officials expect a new, 162-foot-tall tower to transform the Arboretum into an outdoor concert hall.

The tower will house the Metz Carillon, a large outdoor instrument that's being moved from another part of the Bloomington campus.

The IU Board of Trustees approved design plans for the carillon and for the IU Golf Course renovation during its facilities and auxiliaries committee meeting Thursday afternoon.

Named after IU alumnus Arthur Metz, the carillon was built in 1970. It consisted of 61 bells made at the Royal Eijsbouts foundry in the Netherlands. The bells were housed in a tower off North Jordan Avenue.

That location was chosen because it was one of the highest points on campus. But it's also relatively remote. IU officials hope the new location in the grassy area west of the Herman B Wells Library will bring more attention to the uncommon instrument.

The bells chimed for the last time at the North Jordan Avenue tower last month. They will be sent back to the Netherlands to be refurbished. In the new tower, they will be joined by four new bells to create a grand carillon, one of about 15 such instruments in the U.S.
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