In the past, students have used the Samford Hall clock tower to leave their mark in Auburn's legacy of tradition.
History is found above the third floor in the attic, where dusty, old documents and floor plans lie disheveled on a table and the floor. Students and alumni were once given the opportunity to go beyond the attic, and the electronic clockworks that accompany the original 1889 bell, to view campus from its tallest point in the clock tower.
Groups and organizations, such as the Glomerata staff, have climbed to the tower to enhance their Auburn experience.
"They did it as an Auburn tradition and for group bonding," said Dafni Greene, Glomerata adviser.
Each visitor is able to leave a signature either on the backside of one of four clock faces that face the edges of campus -- College Street, Magnolia Avenue, Donahue Drive and Samford Avenue -- or on the low, wooden beams that stretch across the tower and show age with color.
"The darker the wood, the older it is," said Teresa Whitman-McCall, director of campus and community events. "So you can tell what has been here a while and what was brought in later for reinforcement."
The darker beams display dated alumni signatures.
The lighter clock faces, which have only been replaced once, display more recent signatures.
Whitman-McCall said signatures dating back to 1906 have been found on the original clock face that now hangs on the second floor of Samford Hall.
"Juniors and seniors appreciate it more because they've had more time to develop the Auburn spirit," Whitman-McCall said.
Whitman-McCall said VIP tours of Samford Hall were conducted in 2006 for the sesquicentennial, but have since been rarely given.
She said tours completely ended a couple of years ago due to safety reasons, such as uneven boards of the original 1888 attic floors on which the basketball team once held practices.
"We are pursuing public tours again, but the timing is something we are unsure about at this time because of the safety concerns," Whitman McCall said.
She said some of these safety concerns also include the steep, narrow stairways leading to the two towers.
Furthermore, she said the numerous buckets scattered across the attic floor indicate a need to patch the leaky, aged ceiling.
Whitman-McCall said she was informed on Monday morning that a plan for attic renovation is in the works.
University Architect Greg Parsons said addressing these safety issues is difficult because the building is not up to ADA compliance.
"No one has researched the feaibility of addressing the issues, but it is definitely something that should be considered and we're\ certainly going to look into it," Parsons said.
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