The Coughlin Campanile lost its abilities to chime out due to a mishap during Lincoln Hall renovation project, leaving students and alumni wondering when it will return.

The tradition of the Campanile’s music dates back to its creation in 1929. The Campanile’s musical capabilites included hourly chimes and a playlist of songs played by an organ, located in what has been known throughout the years as Lincoln Library and then Lincoln Musical Hall. Most recently, was updated in 1995 with a new sound system, but in the last few years, no music has been heard.

According to Barry Mielke, the vice president of Facilities and Sevices at SDSU, the Campanile’s musical source is a carillon organ located in Lincoln Hall, which transmits its music to the sound system at the top of the campanile via an electrical line through the underground tunnels.

“We believe the problem is the electrical line that runs from Lincoln Hall to the Campanile and that’s where the failure is,” Mielke said. “Somewhere between those two buildings that line has been compromised.”

Jonathan Meendering, the director of campus planning and design, narrowed down the area and the time the line was compromised.

“When it comes to when the system stopped working, it hasn’t been that long,” Meendering said. “Probably around three years ago at the start of the Lincoln Hall renovation project the electrical line was cut.”

According to Meendering, the Carillion organ was originally meant to be shut down temporarily during the renovation of Lincoln Hall, as the whole building was rewired.

“After the rewiring when they were doing the demolition, we assumed they just didn’t know what the line was and cut through it,” Meendering said.

When asked what efforts are being made to get the music back up and running, there appears to be many factors to consider.

“We’ve made several attempts to repair it and just haven’t made it a priority,” Mielke said. The Lincoln Hall renovations seemed to prevent most of the early repair efforts.

Meendering, who has actively been involved in the system’s repair efforts said, “We’re actively working on it. Both, to make sure there’s not another fault in another part of the line and to figure out whether the system’s controller even works anymore.”

Efforts have been made by the SDSU Facilities and Services department to reach out to the manufacturer of the system, Schumacher Bells, for assistance in repairs and possibly upgrading the system.

“If it’s just wiring, it could be fixed next week,” Meendering said. “But if it’s not it wouldn’t. We’re doing a diagnostics right now to figure out the problem to know what we need to repair, if it can be repaired at all.”

Previously, the musical system could be programmed to play at any time for both timekeeping purposes and special events.

Students could put in a request to play songs from a set list of classical, seasonal, patriotic, and general musical selections. These included songs like “Fly Me to the Moon” and “America the Beautiful”. For 30 minutes it cost $10, and for 30 to 60 minutes, the cost was $15.

Jan Rowe, a 1968 SDSU graduate, recalls how on Sundays there would be concerts where the Campanile would play music for the students; however, many new students weren’t aware that the Campanile had any musical abilities at all.

Ainsley Plack is a sophomore at SDSU and a member of the Hobo Day Committee. When asked if she knew that the Campanile could play music, she had no idea.

“I don’t think many current students would know it played music either,” Plack said.

Both Rowe and Plack hope the Campanile makes music again soon.

“I feel like it’s an important campus tradition that should continue here at SDSU,” Plack said. “I’d love to hear the music when it’s fixed.”