Campanile (Memorial Tower)
This tall tower was one of the first major sites on LSU’s campus to be built. In November 1923, Theodore Link, the architect in charge of designing the individual buildings on campus finished his design for the Campanile, or as we commonly refer to today, Memorial Tower. Not long after Link finished his plan, he died on November 12th, 1923.[1]
Memorial Tower’s construction was unfazed by the untimely death of Theodore Link. The construction of the Tower and the original 15 quadrangles (the buildings around the Quad) buildings on campus were completed by April 30th, 1926, which was the date of LSU’s formal dedication.[2] According to an article more than twenty years later written in the Reveille, Memorial Tower cost $226,625.[3]
The building was created to memorialize the sacrifices Louisiana troops made during the First World War.[4]
There are two pictures containing the Memorial Tower that demonstrate several interesting facts about LSU’s history.
Firstly, during the Great Depression, LSU allowed students to exchange “farm produce” for entrance fees. One of the most famous examples of a student bringing farm produce to campus was Elena Carter Percy. Once President James Monroe Smith decided to announce students could do so on September 13th, Ms. Percy decided to take up his offer.[5]
In a remarkable photo, we can see Ms. Percy ride her horse “Satan” alongside Tower Drive with an amazed President Smith at her horse’s side. This picture is a perfect reminder that LSU was and is a land-grant university with a long tradition of agricultural studies.
In another photo with the Tower in the background, this time on the Parade Grounds, we have a picture of students coming from one of the first Latino fraternities created in the country. Phi Iota Alpha, founded in 1912, descended from the Sociedad Hispano Americano founded in 1904 at LSU.[6] These young men were pioneers for their time, being a notable exception to the racial ceiling placed by segregation.
LSU’s Memorial Tower has a rich history, and the pictures displaying the stout tower add to the importance associated with the tower.
