16 | CATALINA ISLANDER

The Catalina Chimes Tower isheaded for refurbishment!

Plans are being developed and fundrais-ing has started to restore the Catalina ChimesTower, one of the most unique buildings inAvalon. Completed in 1925 by Ada and WilliamWrigley Jr., the chimes and its tower were agift to the residents of and visitors to Avalon.The couple commissioned a special set ofmelodic Westminster chimes from Deaganand Co. of Chicago at a cost of $25,000, andbuilt a beautiful tower to house them.

The chimes were designed to strike onthe hour, quarter hour, half hour and three-quarter hour. They were also designed so that

one could manually play songs from an elec-tric keyboard console, which was originallylocated in a glass-fronted room at the foot ofthe Steamer Pier. When the ships arrived inand departed from Avalon, people couldwatch a musician carefully play the notes ofsongs that would ring out from the ChimesTower high above the town. Mr. Wrigley hadplans to install additional keyboard consolesin the St. Catherine Hotel in DescansoCanyon and in his home on Mt. Ada; how-ever, these were never added, due to the chal-lenges of running wires over the hillside andacross Avalon.

By Blanny Avalon Hagenah

The Catalina Chimes Tower

Ada and William Wrigley Jr.

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In the early 1950’s, the cable connectingthe Chimes Tower to the Steamer Pier becamedefective, and the keyboard was moved to asmall room located directly below thepipes/chimes in the Tower. The console is aminiature piano-like keyboard with 20 keys.When you press a key, the correspondingmechanism in the tower registers the sound.Playing the keyboard requires a slow, deliber-ate touch - hitting only one key at a time, sochords are not possible. The first notes from the Chimes Towerrang out in March of 1926. At that time, a“chimes test” was attended by Mr. and Mrs.Deagan and Island Company General Man-ager D.M. Renton, who stood across Avalonon the front porch of the Wrigleys’ Mt. Adahome, and stated that every note was hearddistinctly. The citizens of Avalon stopped inthe streets to enjoy the beautiful tones. Sincethen, the chimes have entertained millions ofAvalon residents and visitors. The chimes were played by assorted mu-sicians until 1967, when islander Jani Eisen-hut took over, performing on holidays andspecial occasions, as well as at other times, justfor the sheer enjoyment of it. Jani has playedthem now for almost 50 years, except for abrief period from 1980 to 1982, when thechimes went silent due to aging electrical wiring and various mechanical issues.

At that time, The Santa Catalina IslandCompany located and hired Joe Burns, a re-tired Deagan Co. electrician living in Hawaii,and brought him to Avalon to repair and up-date the chimes. Burns was assisted by MartinJeffries, a retired clock specialist living inAvalon. Together, the two men replaced theoriginal equipment with a solid state rectifier,giving the mechanism more modern operatingabilities. Martin Jeffries maintained the chimesuntil 1985. Islander Charlie Canby took overmaintenance duties the following year, andcontinues to ensure that the chimes remain op-erational today, setting the stage for the West-minster melodies, as well as Jani’s delightfulimpromptu concerts, to serenade the town. Although the chimes are functioning well,the 90 years that have passed since they werefirst heard in Avalon have taken their toll on both the tower that houses them and the ter-races surrounding it. Fortunately, according to an engineer brought in to evaluate the build-ing, the deterioration appears to be cosmetic,rather than structural. In 2013, the board of the Santa CatalinaIsland Company began to look at how best toaddress the issues with the tower - now and inthe future. Recognizing that it was cherishedby many, and that individuals, corporationsand more wanted to help with its care andrestoration, the company decided to create anon-profit foundation and deed the chimes

and tower to it. In 2015, the Catalina ChimesTower Foundation (CCTF) was formed, hadits first meeting, and took ownership of thebuilding. Today, having met several times, theCCTF board has a better grasp on how to goabout restoring and beautifying this uniqueand beloved building. As the CCTF board works on the plansand costs of this project, many residents andvisitors from the mainland have begun makingdonations to CCTF, and a number of othershave asked how they can help. The CCTFwelcomes donations from individuals, organ-izations and businesses as it launches fundrais-ing efforts for restoration and an endowmentto support ongoing maintenance in the future. For those who would like to help, tax-de-ductible contributions may be sent to theCatalina Chimes Tower Foundation at P.O.Box 677, Avalon, CA 90704. For questionsand comments please e-mail info@catali-nachimes.org.

Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation is a non-profit public benefit corporation. Our mission isto restore and maintain the Chimes Tower, a his-toric landmark in the town of Avalon on SantaCatalina Island, for the community and futuregenerations to enjoy.

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Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation is a nonprofit public benefit cor-poration. Our mission is to restore and maintain the Chimes Tower, ahistoric landmark in the town of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, forthe community and future generations to enjoy.

For those who would like to help, tax-deductible contributions maybe sent to the Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation at P.O. Box 677,Avalon, CA 90704. For questions and comments please e-mail:info@catalinachimes.org.

Help Restore the Chimes Tower!

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