A 165-foot tall poured concrete structure with a veneer of bricks and ceramic tile and a copper roof and cladding. The tower was dedicated on October 17, 1996. The Lurie Carillon has a five-octave range, from a low G that is 11,850 pounds and nearly seven feet in diameter to a high G that is 20 pounds and only seven inches in diameter. When a key is depressed by the carillonist's loosely closed fist, a cable pulls on a clapper, which strikes the bell.
Foot pedals play the larger bells.
Much like a piano, the harder the key stroke, the louder the sound. The spring and summer term schedules are posted at the base of the tower. Evening concerts in the summer allow families to picnic on the North Campus Diag and enjoy the bells. The University of Michigan carillon program is the most extensive in the United States, and the only school which awards a masters degree in carillon. About a dozen U-M students study the carillon each term.