The chimes are returning to the Altgeld Hall bell tower as renovations continues on the more than 125-year-old facility.
Crews at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign hoisted half of the chimes back into the bell tower on Monday.
White’s Clock and Carillon Northeast, Inc. CEO Jim White stayed at the base of the tower to secure the chimes to a crane. The bells weigh between 300 and 3,000 pounds.
“It’d be the same, really, as rigging beams of steel up into a tower. You’d use nylon straps, come-alongs, chain falls and different equipment like that,” White said.
“We use what we call bell hooks, which grab the bottom of the bell. That would be something that would be just in our field.”
There are a total of 15 bells. White’s company lifted half Monday and plan to hoist the other half Tuesday, including the heaviest, 3,000 pound bell.
Though the chimes are on their way back, White said students will not be able to play them yet. He plans to come back to set up the bells after more construction takes place.
Altgeld Hall was first built in 1897. The university has been renovating it for two years.
Phase 3 of the project launched in the spring, and the university expects the facility will reopen in about two years during the fall 2027 semester.