I will never forget the first time that I heard that restored carillon bells ring out at First Presbyterian Church. It was just before the blizzard. I was walking my dogs down Ashland Avenue when I heard them chime for the first time. It was remarkable. It was then that I grabbed my cell phone and called Barbara O’Neill, chief orchestrator who made the restoration project possible.
“I just heard them chiming on Ashland, near the corner of Bryan… loud and clear,” I told Barbara. “It was amazing to hear them. I can’t believe that I’ve lived in this neighborhood for decades, and finally understand how important they are!”
As I listened to the bells, I though about Barbara telling me that the neighborhood relied heavily upon the bells in the past, well before people carried cell phones with them everywhere they went. The bells would signal to children that it was time to come home at the end of the day. They would remind people that it was time to have lunch, or meet up with a friend, or run an errand. The bells were a loyal and constant reminder that schedules were being met, and life was going according to plan. The bells were also a source of comfort for many people who were reminded that their neighborhood church was always close at hand.
When I first heard the bells chime, I was not aware that we were about to get slammed with a generational blizzard. I knew that we were in store for a storm, but had no idea the magnitude. While the blizzard was certainly unforgettable, there was something that kept me grounded throughout – the chiming of the carillon bells. As the winds ripped, and the flurries blew sideways, each hour I could hear the bells chime in the distance. I never thought that the sound of those bells would be as comforting as they were. It was almost like a dream, hearing them sound off. It was also as if they had, somehow, always been there. As I sit here and write this, I can’t even believe that this source of inspiration has been missing almost my entire life… something so simple… something that so many other people once took for granted.
I also thought about how sad the day must have been, for so many people, when the sound of the carillon bells ceased (the day the music died). That was 30 years ago! No wonder not many people understand their importance. Back in those days, the bells were considered “an audible beacon in zero visibility snowstorms.” And here they were again, grounding me, and others, by offering a sense of security… a sense of normalcy during a storm that was anything but normal.
This morning, Barbara reached out to me, to tell me that others living in the West Side felt the same way that I did. She also told me that she never could have guessed that their symbolic magnitude would be realized in such a short period of time.
“When I came back to Buffalo in 2012, the one thing I wanted to do was to get a carillon back in that tower,” Barbara told me. “The memory of the bells, when I was young, was very specific during snowstorms. It snowed all the time back then [laughing]. The 5 o’clock bells signaled that it was time to come home for dinner. Even if there was a storm, I always knew where I was , because of the bells. They would guide me. During the 2022 blizzard, people were home for an extended period of time. I have had numerous messages saying that the bells offered a great deal of comfort. It’s precisely what I had hoped for – to provide a beacon for the neighborhood – a neighborhood that is built upon history and music.”
For me, the carillon bells do represent hope. At the same time, just thinking about the 30 years of silence leading up to this point is a bit disheartening. I can’t even imagine – three decades ago – when the bells went silent. To think that something that was such a constant sense of solace had been silenced. And for many people, they never heard those bells ring out again. I consider myself lucky to be able to hear them for the first time. I also feel a sense of sadness for the lost time. That loss reminds me of seeing the giant bell at St. Mary’s on the Hill (on Niagara Street), which sits at the foot of a parking lot, where the church once stood. The community fought to save the church, and I watched as they tore it down. The silence of that bell will be a constant reminder of what could have been.
Thankfully, we have people like Barbara who led the charge to restore the carillon bells at First Presbyterian Church. Unlike St. Mary’s on the Hill, the bells will now ring out, loud and clear, as a reminder of this city’s triumphant gains and tragic losses. The bells also signal that there is more work to be done at First Presbyterian Church. There are still fundraising efforts underway to restore the tower (it has been stabilized) and repair the roof. The bells will be a constant reminder of the importance of preservation. Without the community’s support leading up to this point in time, that tower might not even be standing – just think of the gale force winds of the blizzard.
Thomas O’Neill (Barbara’s dad), Jeff Z. Klein and friends listen to the bells
“The tower was a beacon during the storm,” Barbara told me. “I never thought in a million years that it would play such an important role in such a short period of time. The bells first rang out on Tuesday, and the storm hit on the weekend. Now I’m hearing the stories from so many people, about how the bells are already playing a significant part in the role of the neighborhood, once again.”
Sometimes you never stop to think that something has been missing in your life, until it’s suddenly there. That’s how I feel about the carillon bells at First Presbyterian Church, which I can hear ringing in the distance. If you haven’t heard the bells, you will some day – whether they are chiming at the top of the hour, or playing a full concert. For me, the bells are magical. I hope that there will never come a day when they are silenced again. They are, once more, a reminder of the wonders, and the fragility, of this city.
*As I wrote this article, from approximately 10am to 11am this morning, I could hear the carillon bells sounding off in the distance at two distinct times. When I hear them for a third time, it will be time for lunch.
*Listen to the bells ring on Facebook
Online donations can be made at the First Pres website or checks can be mailed to One Symphony Circle 1 Symphony Circle Buffalo, NY 14201. (One Symphony Circle, Inc.)
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