Nancy Brown Peace Carillon facts for kids
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The Nancy Brown Peace Carillon is a special bell tower located on Detroit's beautiful Belle Isle. It was built to honor peace and is named after Nancy Brown. Nancy Brown was the pen name (or pseudonym) of a writer named Annie Louise Brown. She wrote for The Detroit News newspaper.
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The Idea Behind the Carillon
Annie Louise Brown started writing for The Detroit News in 1919. She was known for her "Sunrise Services" on Belle Isle. These were big outdoor religious gatherings. In 1934, about 50,000 people came to her first service!
In 1936, Nancy Brown started a plan to build a peace carillon on the island. A carillon is a musical instrument with many bells. It is often played from a tower. She wanted to raise money for this special tower.
Building the Tower
Nancy Brown herself helped start the building work on October 30, 1939. The first stone, called a cornerstone, was placed on December 13 of that year. A former mayor of Detroit, John C. Lodge, also supported the project.
The Nancy Brown Peace Carillon is shaped like an octagon (an eight-sided shape). It stands about 98 feet (30 meters) tall. You can find it near the band shell on Belle Isle.
Design and Cost
The building was designed by a company called Harley, Ellington, and Day. It looks like a neo-Gothic tower. This style is old-fashioned and grand, like some churches. Experts say it looks "stately and cheerfully unpretentious." This means it looks important but also friendly.
The carillon cost about $60,000 to build. All the money came from donations. Nancy Brown's readers and other fundraisers gave money. The city of Detroit did not have to pay anything for it.
Opening Day
The tower was officially opened on June 16, 1940. This was during the seventh annual Sunrise Service. Around 50,000 people came to celebrate.
The very first concert at the carillon was on July 4, 1940. It featured popular American patriotic music. Songs like "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" were played. The last penny needed to pay for the carillon was given on December 7, 1941. This was the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Nancy Brown kept writing her newspaper column until January 1942. She retired the next month. She passed away in Detroit on October 7, 1948, when she was 77 years old.
Challenges and Repairs
The carillon was supposed to have real bells. But they were too expensive. So, it was built with an organ and an amplifier instead.
Damage and Neglect
By 1970, the carillon stopped playing music. Pigeons had caused damage inside the tower. Also, some of its stained-glass windows were broken by vandalism. At that time, Detroit faced money problems. The city's parks department said they could not afford to fix it.
In 1974, the Parks and Recreation Department hoped to put in a new music system. It would play recordings of carillon bells. At the same time, a group called "Friends of Belle Isle" wanted to buy and install real bells. This would have cost about $100,000.
New Chimes and Automation
New chimes were finally put into the carillon in 2003. By 2012, the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon was automated. This means it could play music by itself every day.
However, by 2013, a local writer noticed that the carillon still needed care. It had suffered from neglect and vandalism for a long time.
In September 2017, a special event was held at the carillon. It was called "67 Seconds of Peace." This event remembered the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Detroit riot. The riot was a difficult time in Detroit's history. The event included readings and presentations.
See also
In Spanish: Carillón de la Paz Nancy Brown Peace para niños
