Hardy Memorial Tower at San Diego State University, constructed as a Works Progress Administration project in 1931, is 11 stories tall; it contains the Fletcher Symphonic Carillon , consisting of 204 bells over 6 octaves. Hardy Memorial Tower is part of the original core of the SDSU campus on Montezuma mesa, and was the University's original library.
Namesake
Tower
The Hardy Memorial Tower is named for Dr. Edward Hardy, who served as President of the StateNormal School, SDSU's predecessor institution, from 1910 to 1935. During his tenure the college was relocated to Montezuma Mesa, and its name was changed to San Diego State College. Hardy also served on both the State and City Boards of Education, and in 1936, after his retirement, was appointed Executive Director of the San Diego Museum. Also named for Dr. Hardy are Hardy Avenue, just south of the present SDSU campus and Hardy Elementary School. In 1976, by permission of the statewide Board of Trustees and in gratitude for his contributions to the university, it was named the Hardy Memorial Tower. Dr. Hardy's profile graces a bronze plaque designed by San Diego sculptor Donal Hord.
Chimes/Bells
The Fletcher Symphonic Carillon was presented as a gift to SDSU by Senator and Mrs. Ed Fletcher in 1946 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the university and to serve as a memorial to students lost in war.
Notability
Hardy Memorial Tower is recognized as an important symbol of San Diego State University to the greater San Diego community. In 2004, two historic murals were uncovered in Hardy Memorial Tower. SDSU received the Governor's Historic Preservation Award in 2008 for efforts in preserving this artwork.
NRA Packages, a mural painted in 1936 by Genevieve Burgeson Bredo, and for many years thought lost, has been restored and is now on display inside Malcolm A. Love Library. The mural was discovered in 2004 behind ceiling tiles inside SDSU's Hardy Memorial Tower, which was part of the university's first library. Painted in a variety of media, it portrays three men unloading National Recovery Act packages from a van near San Diego's Hillcrest neighborhood.
A second, larger mural, George Sorenson's San Diego Industry, remains in Hardy Memorial Tower. This mural depicts the successive stages of tuna fishing and canning, along with the multi-ethnic work force involved in that industry. The library hopes to remove, restore and relocate this mural.
