Toggle Background Video Playback Campus & Beyond Crowning Glory: McGraw Tower’s Renovations Are Complete Stories You May Like What Does It Take to Become a Big Red Chimesmaster? Create Your Own McGraw Tower—Made Out of Gingerbread! East Hill’s Most Notable Landmark Gets Some TLC Sporting a new roof and other improvements, the iconic clocktower is ready for another century By Joe Wilensky After more than two years of renovation and restoration, McGraw Tower is finally free of scaffolding. Above all—literally and figuratively—is a brand-new roof. “Everyone—from the designers and contractors to our campus roofing experts—expects it to last us another hundred years,” says Jon Ladley, director of facilities planning for the University Library. The $7 million project included not only restoring the roof, but numerous other repairs and weatherproofing to the tower, masonry, and adjacent Uris Library. It had taken longer than anticipated, due in part to uncooperative weather, as well as the challenge of hiring roofers skilled in the required detail and craftwork. (Specialist subcontractors were brought in from Ottawa, Canada.) rare and manuscript collectionsThe tower in the 1920s, sporting its original tile roof. From a distance, the 173-foot-tall landmark seems much the same, albeit cleaner: the masonry is brighter, the four clockfaces crisper. The new roof retains its historic chevron pattern and deep gray hue. The most time-consuming part of the project, Ladley says, was the removal and careful replacement of the roof’s lead-coated copper sheets, soldered pans, and wood decking that form its pyramidal shape. Everyone—from the designers and contractors to our campus roofing experts—expects it to last us another hundred years. Jon Ladley, director of facilities planning, University Library The roof had last been replaced in the 1930s—followed by decades of patchwork repairs to leaking seams. The new version is fashioned from sheet lead, a more durable and environmentally safe material; its design will aid in more efficient water runoff. Forming sheet lead over wooden battens into the roof's familiar chevron pattern, and fitting the spire cap. While many of the tower’s improvements are internal—making the entire structure weathertight for future generations—visible upgrades include a new safety railing around the tower’s belfry, which serves as an observation deck. At 42 inches tall, the new railings are two inches higher than the decorative ones (which remain), in keeping with modern codes. McGraw Tower, of course, is home to the Cornell Chimes; while no work was done on the bells, they will benefit from the roof replacement and weatherproofing—as will the playing console and the clockworks. Stories You May Like What Does It Take to Become a Big Red Chimesmaster? Create Your Own McGraw Tower—Made Out of Gingerbread! Sreang Hok / Cornell UniversityThe tower was clad in scaffolding for two years. The steel support structure was visible during roof replacement. Sturdier modern railings now sit behind the decorative ones. Sreang Hok / Cornell UniversityThe tower briefly appeared to sport a transparent roof. Sreang Hok / Cornell UniversityThe brickwork has been meticulously cleaned. Other exterior work includes repairs to the library entrance stairs and restoration to sections of Uris’s roof. The tower’s clockfaces were also restored and refinished, and the hands repainted. While no work was done on the bells, they will benefit from the roof replacement and weatherproofing—as will the playing console and the clockworks. During an early condition assessment, Ladley notes, a few of the tower’s original 1891 roof tiles were found in a library attic. One of the glazed, cream-colored Spanish tiles, along with a section of the replaced 1930s-era roof, are now on display in Uris. The work, Ladley adds, finished up around the time that the Olin Library interior renovations wrapped up next door. A section of the replaced roof is on display in Uris Library. “So we’ve kind of had a soft opening over the summer,” he says. “The Chimes are already back in action; they’ve got the hour bells going, and they’re doing their concerts again.” No other major construction or renovation work in the area is planned, he adds: “So it’s like a sigh of relief on this corner of the Arts Quad.” Top: Photo and video by Sreang Hok and Jason Koski / Cornell University. (All images provided by University Library Facilities Planning, unless otherwise indicated.) Published August 28, 2025 Comments Carol Selman, Class of 1968 14 Sep, 2025 I would love to learn more about what tiles were used in the restoration. It seems perhaps the original tiles were reused but I’m not certain. Might you show a closeup of the tile on library display. More about the craftsmen who executed the finishing work? Thank you for information or directing me where to read further. I was a long time commissioner on my local Historic Preservation Commission. Reply Barry Schepp, Class of 1972 14 Sep, 2025 Great drone videos. Reply Carl Vallely, Class of 1972 14 Sep, 2025 It needs a pumpkin Reply Carl Anderson, Class of 1968 14 Sep, 2025 The tower was a fantastic place from which to see the local effects of the 1965 Northeast blackout! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. 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