[8] The tower shaft was designed with a combination of semi-Romanesque Revival features and Collegiate Gothic verticality by William Henry Deacy of the W.W. Leland Studios in New York City.

[11] At each corner of the clock section are two 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall carved American eagles, eight in all, which support the top of the tower.

In 1986, a Maas-Rowe Grand Symphony 246-bell instrument was installed and dedicated in honor of university chancellor Carey Bostian and his wife Neita.

In 2017, NC State alumnus Bill Henry and his wife Frances gave the money to fund the purchase of the rest of the 50 bells for the tower for a total of 55.

The program included compositions by Bach, Debussy, and Gurin, as well as the N.C. State Fight Song and Alma Mater.

[3] A five-person Memorial Committee was soon formed, headed by Carroll Lamb Mann (1877-1961),[14] a graduate of the Class of 1899 and a professor of civil engineering,[15] with E. B. Owen as secretary and treasurer.

[16] At a meeting of the N.C. State College Alumni Association of New York on October 3, 1919, a resolution was proposed and passed "that the N.C. State College Alumni Association of New York...suggest as a suitable memorial a clock tower permanently placed, thus obviating the blowing of the 'whistle' on the campus,[n 1] [with] the clock to have a good loud striking bell and chimes, if the expense is not too great.

[16][19] On March 22, 1920, the Memorial Committee unanimously resolved to raise $30,000 ($289,000 in 2018 values[20][n 2]) to erect a 90-foot-tall (27 m) bell tower on the N.C. State campus as a lasting tribute to alumni "who gave their lives in the World War."

[9] On November 9, 1920, Deacy visited the N.C. State campus and consulted with members of the Memorial Committee, by which time plans had been made to lay the tower foundation, with the cornerstone to be laid during the May 1922 commencement week.

[8] On May 30, 1921, the Alumni Association decided to build the first section of the tower to a height of 18 feet (5.5 m), with subsequent construction based on the availability of funds.

[22] The cornerstone of the Memorial Belltower was laid on November 10, 1921 with Masonic rites conducted by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina.

[16] Graduating classes continued to make pledges for finishing the tower project,[27] though construction again stalled during the Great Depression.

[1] Finally, in 1934, the Memorial Committee decided to request federal funding to complete the tower, as it was feared the project would otherwise be delayed indefinitely.

[7] In October 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) granted $37,000 ($543,000 in 2018 values[20]) to finish the stonework and complete the remaining 81 feet (25 m) of the tower shaft.