Hoover Tower facts for kids
Hoover Tower is a tall building, about 285 feet (87 meters) high. It stands on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California. This famous tower is home to the Hoover Institution Library and Archives. This is a special collection of historical items started by Herbert Hoover. He later became a President of the United States.
Herbert Hoover gathered many important materials about history from the early 1900s. He gave them to Stanford, his old university. He wanted to create a "library of war, revolution and peace." Hoover Tower also has the Hoover Institution, which is a research center.
The design of Hoover Tower was inspired by a tower in Spain. It was finished in 1941, which was Stanford's 50th anniversary. The architect who designed it was Arthur Brown, Jr..
Inside Hoover Tower
The first nine floors of the tower hold library books and historical documents. The next three floors are used for offices. For a while, a famous writer named Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn lived on the 11th floor. Stanford University invited him to stay there before he moved in 1976.
Many people visit Hoover Tower every day, usually around 200 visitors. There is a small fee for people who are not Stanford students or staff. The observation deck is a viewing platform high up, about 250 feet (76 meters) above the ground. From here, you can see amazing views of the Stanford University campus. You can also see the areas around it. On clear days, you might even see the distant city skyline of San Francisco!
The observation deck is open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. However, it closes during school breaks and final exams.
Lightning Strikes
Hoover Tower has been hit by lightning more than once. In December 1970, lightning struck the tower. A large, decorative concrete ball, weighing 300 pounds (136 kg), fell from the top. It landed in a parking lot below.
Then, in August 2020, an electric storm hit the tower again. The concrete ball at the very top was struck down once more. This time, it broke into many pieces.
The Carillon Bells
The tower has a special musical instrument called a carillon. A carillon is like a giant set of bells that can be played to make music. This carillon was a gift to Stanford from the Belgian American Educational Foundation.
The first carillon had 35 bells. They were made in Tournai, Belgium, for the 1939 New York World's Fair. But World War II started, and Belgium was taken over in May 1940. This happened while the fair was still going on. The bells were then offered to the Washington National Cathedral, but they didn't need them.
In July 1940, Stanford University received the bells for Hoover Tower. The tower wasn't finished yet, so the bells were put in place in March 1941. They were first played on March 18, 1941. The first official concert was on March 21.
In 2001 and 2002, the carillon was updated and made bigger. Twenty-four new bells were made in the Netherlands. Nine of the original bells were melted down and remade. Now, the carillon has a total of 48 bells. The biggest bell weighs about 2.5 tons!
