The Victory Bell is located behind Taylor Hall in an open grassy space known as the 'Commons.' The locomotive bell was donated by the Erie Railroad. In 1950 the university's president George A. Bowman designated it for the Commons. Architecture student Arvid Johnson designed a structure of tan brick and sandstone to house the bell. It was constructed with funds raised by Alpha Phi Omega, an architecture service fraternity. It was finished in 1955, the year Johnson graduated. The bell, originally intended to toll for winning athletic events, acquired after May 4, 1970, a more lugubrious history. It was rung several times in conjunction with events of that day. It is now part of the National Register of Historic Places for the site.