I’m currently visiting family in Berne, Indiana, and happened to be in town for the installation of the roof and spire of the Clock Tower currently being built in town. I got some pictures of the event – there was quite a crowd gathered around watching – and since the local paper doesn’t seem to have coverage of the event yet, so I thought I’d post something about it.
The big event was scheduled for 9.00 AM, Friday the 18th of June. The clock tower then:
Before the work began
If you look really closely, you can see camera crews on top of the church behind the tower. You can also see the roof (on the ground to the left) – the spire is on the ground behind the tower itself. Right around 9.00, the construction crew rigged steel cables from the top of the enclosure around the bell to connect it to the crane:
Preparing to hoist...
The crane was then connected, and after a bit of checking underneath of the roof, it was lifted:
Going up!
When it got to the top of the tower, the crane stopped and the crew adjusted its location so that it would sit properly:
Adjusting the alignment
When they had it where they wanted it, the crane slowly lowered it into place, and all visible activity ceased for quite a while, presumably while the crew was fastening the roof to the top of the tower. Eventually, two workmen climbed up from inside the roof next to the bell, and then to the top of the belfry. They disconnected the cables to the crane, and waited while the spire was solidly attached to the crane. When that was done, the spire was hoisted:
About to be inspired...
The spire was then lowered over the two men atop the belfry, who correctly oriented it, and then it too was lowered into place and fastened down.
The spire in place
Another view
The construction – at least of the structure itself – seems to be complete. There is still more work to do before the dedication (during Swiss Days) in six weeks, but eventually it is supposed to look like the original clock tower in the original town of Bern, Switzerland:
The original Bern clock tower, ca. 1900
It’s interesting to think what the original Swiss settlers of Berne, Indiana would have thought of this. Some of them at least were probably familiar with the original tower. Their descendants have managed to recreate a piece of those settlers old world in the middle of the new.
UPDATE 6/20/10 10.00PM: The Berne Tri-Weekly News has a video of the roof raising here.
