Memorial Union: The Transcendent Tower

Signs, Symbols, and Seals: The Sculpture of Memorial Tower

Archaic Arches

Memorial Tower has three types of Gothic arches: lancet (below left), Tudor (below middle), and ogee (below right). Sharply pointed, the lancet arch developed in the early Gothic period in England. Lancet arches are usually grouped in clusters and are decorated with tracery, a series of interconnected stonework ribs used to support glass in stained glass windows (Memorial Tower has none). The tower’s archways are Tudor arches. Named for the ruling dynasty in England (Tudor period, 1485–1603), they are characterized by low, wide arches with flattened points. The walls above the tower’s Tudor archways are decorated with ogee arches, which consist of pointed apexes formed by the intersection of two "s” curves. Influenced by Islamic architecture, ogee arches were popular in the late Gothic period.

Arches

Memorial Union Exhibition

Exhibition Home

History of Memorial Tower

Making the Memorial

In Memoriam

Signs, Symbols, and Seals: The Sculpture of Memorial Tower

Figured in Stone: The Arcade Sculptures of Memorial Tower

Tradition: Tipping the Cap

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