EMU carillon chimes again ring out as renovation concludes

After a three-year silence, the Erb Memorial Union’s carillon bells are chiming once again.

In one of the final steps for the EMU renovation, the UO’s traditional keyboard chimes have been reactivated. They ring every 15 minutes during the day and play the Oregon fight song, “Mighty Oregon,” at noon and 6 p.m.

The carillon chimes were originally installed in 1954 as a gift from the class of 1953 after many debates and financial delays. They were housed in a small tower on the roof of the student union, and the main lobby held a plaque reading “Carillon Chimes, Donated by Classes of 1943 and 1953 and Alumni Leaders.”

The carillon chimes later became inoperable and were replaced in 1994.

The bells are made up of a small keyboard attached to electronic speakers. They will return to their schedule from before the renovation, ringing on the quarter hour between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends.

—By Morgan Robinson, Division of Student Life