The Campanile is 100 years old in 2022! Built-in late 1922 for the Mooseheart Convention, the Campanile was erected in honor of founder James J. Davis. The word Campanile is a French word meaning bell tower. It is said that the building’s first speaker was the 29th president, Warren G. Harding, a fellow Moose member.
The Campanile was described in The Mooseheart Weekly as “an open-air speakers’ pavilion and bandstand, together with an observations tower from which visitors can get a good view of the City of Happy Childhood.”
The project’s original cost was $75,000 (if the Campanile were to be built in 2022, the project would cost over $1.3 million). Moose members were called to action to help fund this honorary structure. Part of the project meant that “the Silo, which was the largest in the world at the time it was built,” needed to come down. It was 92’ high and 16’ in diameter, and 50’ in circumference. It took 43 pounds of dynamite to bring it down on November 4, 1921 (The Mooseheart Weekly).
Moose Charities got the fantastic opportunity to go inside the Campanile. It is saying something to say it felt like we were in a time capsule. Many structural pieces of architecture are still around even 100 years later. So much of Mooseheart’s history is captured in the reception area. Below are some photos of what we saw during our tour.
What do you remember most if you have had the pleasure of going inside the Campanile?
