Bronze bell tops Denny Hall for first time in century
The UW likes to think of itself as a 21st-century institution, but in February one of its buildings stepped back in time 110 years. For the last 80 years Denny Hall, the oldest building on campus, had a green bell tower (top photo). But when Denny opened in 1895, its cupola actually sported a shiny copper color similar to a new penny. During the next 20 to 30 years, the weather turned the brown exterior to verdigris. Last year, as part of the restoration of Denny Hall, the UW removed the tower and sheathed it in new copper that exactly matched the original. On Feb. 26, construction workers placed the new tower on top of the sandstone building (middle photo). For the next few decades, alumni can see Denny Hall as their great-great grandparents might have seen it (bottom photo). Inside the tower hangs a restored Denny Bell, one of the oldest artifacts of the University, which originally hung in the first UW building in what is now downtown Seattle.
Top photo: News and information archives. Middle photo by Mary Levin. Bottom photo by Kathy Sauber.