Stetson University to remove upper portion of weather-damaged Hulley Tower

"Stetson has a strong commitment to historic preservation, and Hulley Tower is a contributing structure to the Stetson University Campus National Historic District," said Dr. Doug Lee, Stetson president. "While we remain committed to historic preservation, the deterioration of the tower infrastructure and materials led us to make this difficult decision for the safety of the campus community and the residents of DeLand. We will develop a plan to rebuild a new tower and bell structure on the historic Hulley Mausoleum base."

The structural engineering firm of Allen and Conrad Inc. of Winter Park has assessed the tower's condition and determined that the interior steel structure supporting its 11 heavy bells and brick façade has been significantly weakened over the years by water intrusion. The university hired the engineers in February, after a piece of pre-cast concrete façade fell from the top of the tower.

The extent to which last year's hurricanes and increased rainfall have affected the structure is unknown. But facing the threat of another active hurricane season, university officials decided to remove the bells immediately, and take down the brick tower to the top of its stone base, approximately 22 feet above the ground. The base contains a mausoleum where Stetson's second president and his wife are interred. A 6-foot fence has been constructed around the tower to secure the area. In addition, no students are currently housed in nearby Chaudoin Hall.

"We are saddened by this necessity," said Dr. Jim Beasley, senior vice president and chief operating officer, and a 1967 Stetson graduate who also earned a master's degree from Stetson in 1968. "Hulley Tower is one of our landmarks, and the bells are part of Stetson life, but the urgency of the situation makes our decision the prudent thing to do."

To preserve the historic record, Stetson will provide the state with documentation on the tower, including measured line drawings and archival photographs. The university is working with Kenneth Smith Architects Inc., longtime historic preservation architect for the university.

After the portion of the tower is removed, and the safety of the remaining structure is assured, university officials will explore alternate methods for raising a redesigned tower on the site, with an improved carillon. Stetson’s Eloise Chimes include only 11 bells; a true carillon has at least 23. "We have sought for many years to improve the chimes," Lee said. "This may be the time to replace them."

Completed in 1934, the 116-foot Hulley Tower was built by Stetson's second president, Dr. Lincoln Hulley, to house the Eloise Chimes, which were made by the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore and installed in Elizabeth Hall's cupola in 1915. They consist of four large and seven smaller rough cast bells, ranging from 575 to 3,000 lbs. As Woodland Boulevard traffic increased they were found to vibrate too much for Elizabeth Hall and were moved to Hulley Tower.

Hulley died before the tower was finished, and was interred in a mausoleum on the first floor of the tower. His wife, Eloise Mayham Hulley, for whom the chimes were named, lived another 25 years, and was interred beside him when she died in 1959. The mausoleum is on the first floor of the structure, within the stone base; it will remain intact, a perpetual memorial to the Hulleys, regardless of the fate of the tower.

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