Switzler Hall
Bell Tower
One component of Switzler Hall is the bell tower. The bell was given to the University by Major James S. Rollins and is inscribed with the words "Nunc occasion est et tempus," which translated is, "Now is the occasion and the time." While the bell originally rang for classes until 1936, it now only rings for Tap Day, the Mizzou 39 ceremony, and to honor the passing of members of the MU family. During the time the bell was used to signal the start of classes, it was a longstanding prank among many student to steal the bell's clapper, so that the signal for classes to start would not be sounded.
Silo
Switzler Hall is also home to a mysterious three-story "silo" through the center of the structure. The cylindrical, 8-foot-diameter, brick, silo rises from the basement to the roof of the building. In the middle of the silo, a solid wooden structure, which resembles some sort of dumbwaiter device or ladder, also rises to the attic. The purpose of the silo is still unknown; however, some of the proposed original uses include use as a means of roof access, as part of a heating and cooling system, as a drop tower for physics students, or as an elaborate means of venting chemical work on the lower floors.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "MU Campus Map - Switzler Hall". Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2008.