After years of renovation, the New Union Center for the Arts still comes up short.
"The building originally had a 48-foot tall bell tower," said Pat Murphy, director of the Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization (OHIO),"It's a big tower."
The bell tower will be rebuilt this year to crown the New Union Center. The project is being undertaken by OHIO in cooperation with the Nord Family Foundation, who funded the renovation.
"We're very happy," said Betsy Manderen, executive director of the Firelands Association for Visual Arts (FAVA), located in the Center, "It's going to bring the building back."
The first tower was made of wood and slate. It's replacement will be constructed of aluminum and structural steel.
The 123-year old building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, housed Oberlin High School until 1923. Students were called to school by the ringing of the bell.
The new bell will also ring, although it is unclear for whom the bell will toll. "It's up to the tenants as to how often the bell is rung," Murphy said.
"It certainly would be fun to ring it," said Manderen.
Members of OHIO are currently searching for the original bell. It was last spotted in 1940, resting in storage at Langston School. "It's been missing for quite some time," said Murphy, "We've had various theories, but we haven't been able to locate it."
The bell tower, which will be entirely fabricated off-site, will be raised in the spring. "We'll probably have a celebration," said Manderen.
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