The idea for a monument to honor NC State alumni killed in World War I originated with Vance Sykes, a member of the class of 1907. By 1920, Sykes and other alumni had formed a planning committee and hired architect William Henry Deacy to design a memorial tower at the entrance to the campus on Hillsborough Street.
Today, the 115-foot monument, called “a legend in stone,” is a symbol of the university and a rallying point for the campus community. Constructed at a cost of more than $150,000, the tower is made of 1,400 tons of granite set on a 700-ton concrete base. Its blending of Romanesque features and Gothic verticality are reminiscent of the towers at West Point. [MORE]
The NCSU Belltower is not just an iconic symbol for the university but also the community surrounding the university. After standing under the belltower for the Krispy Kreme Challenge and then watching NCSU’s win over Louisville I decided to head over and take some pictures of the tower lit red against the winter sky. I used the Sigma 10-20 wide angle and a tripod to try and get the best angle I could on the tower using a long exposure . The lights are surprisingly yellow/orange closer to the bottom.
It was colder than I was prepared for so I didn’t take as many pics or try and many things as I would have liked. Guess NCSU will have to win another game soon so I can go and try again.
