Marc's Version

The main assembly room of the Storrs Congregational Church features red rugs that are spotless and off-white walls that are flawless.
But four flights of stairs and 63 steps above the pews, is a room layered with dust, cobwebs and dead. There are no rugs or painted walls; only rickety floor boards. In the middle of the room sits the Austin Dunham Carillon.
It isn’t fancy - the vases full of flowers sitting on the edges of the carillon are fake - but for 78 years, the worn down instrument has served the University of Connecticut well. The only problem is, the university hasn’t returned the favor.
“It has not been repaired since it was installed here,” said David Maker, former UConn carillonneur and music professor. “Which, to me, is scandalous. The bells are fine, but the mechanisms are in bad condition.”
At first sight, the parallel arrangement of turnbuckles and metal rods distracts onlookers from the carillon’s decaying wooden frame. The batons, which are used to play the carillon, have been worn hittled down over the years, exposing a layer of unpolished and jagged wood.
When Maker sits on the stool facing the carillon, ready to play, he braces himself for the physical discomfort agony that comes with the job of playing the Dunham carillon.
“Most are easier to play than this one,” Maker said while examining his fingers. “It’s a little rough on me.”
The carillon was purchased by the university by proceeds from a gift of property donated by Dunham. When it was installed in 1931, the college and the church came to terms on an agreement that would put the carillon in the church steeple, making it the only carillon in North America that is publicly owned but housed in an independent church on private property.
Since its unique origin, the only construction the carillon has seen was done by the Verizon Wireless Co. less than five years ago. The cell phone company turned the church’s steeple into a transmitter tower to broadcast its wireless signal to Verizon cell phones in the area.
“I was deathly afraid they were going to do something to the carillon,” Maker said.
While wireless signals may take precedence in the church’s steeple nowadays, the carillon used to be the main piece of the Storrs Congregational Church. Maker said the university most likely tried to use the carillon as a passing bell for classes when it was first installed.
In the summertime, the carillon is used for three summer concerts for Mansfield and it is also used as music for various university and church events.
What is the future of the carillon?
“It’s going to be fixed in my opinion,” Maker said.
The university has already received an estimate on how much it will cost to renovate the carillon. Since the bell is owned by UConn but housed at the church, Maker has suggested opening an individual bank account for the carillon which would house all donations and funding received towards the instrument.
But for now, the old wooden block simply collects dust four stories above the congregational church, waiting those few rare times when Maker comes to play its harmonious sounds.