BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It was a welcome sound on a chilly fall Monday morning at University at Buffalo's South Campus - the return of the Westminster chimes at Hayes Hall.
The chimes were silenced in 2011 to accommodate for the building's renovation to rehouse the School of Architecture and Planning. Installed in 1928, the bells were a gift from Kate Robinson Butler, a University Council member.
Each bell is a different weight and tone, and features inscriptions related to learning. The smallest of the four bells reads, "I am the voice of life. I call you, call and learn."
"These chimes will, in my case, be one of the things that help awaken me every morning," said Gregory Brown, a University Heights resident. He says the bells helped his wife, a UB alum, organize her day.
"The ringing of the chimes were different every 15 minute interval. She was able to organize her day with study, wakeup, going to bed just by listening to these chimes."
The chimes, which many call the voice of UB South, also mark an important milestone when it comes to development the campus. Several other halls have undergone extensive work, setting the stage for South Campus to become the future home of the university's professional schools.
"Already we have the Health Sciences school here, the School of Social Work, the School of Graduate Education, and somewhere further down the road the Law School would move to South Campus," said Laura Hubbard, the university's vice president of finance and administration.
With Hayes Hall set for a ribbon cutting next fall, her tower and bells will ensure all projects on campus move like clockwork once more.