Old Main once stood on what is now the campus mall, and with limited financial resources in the mid-19th century its initial construction was carried out by the Franciscan friars themselves using materials from the surrounding landscape. For almost one hundred years, it served as the home of Saint Francis College, Seminary and Academy, housing classrooms, faculty offices, recreation rooms, cafeterias, dormitories, and the Immaculate Conception Chapel. On October 30, 1942, a devastating fire ravaged Old Main and destroyed it completely, with damages estimated at more than $200,000. Classes resumed after two weeks at the recently acquired Charles M. Schwab Estate, now the Mount Assisi Friary, as the Franciscan friars continued their mission while seeking to rebuild. Cast in the City of Pittsburgh in 1859, the Bell was originally hung in a tower on the porch of Old Main near the Immaculate Conception Chapel. Nicknamed "The Angelus," it was rung daily to call the campus community to prayer and Mass and became a staple of the Saint Francis student experience. Moved to a new tower not long before the fire, the Bell survived as a link to the past and a hopeful reminder of better days to come. It is now rung twice a year during the Bell Tower Ceremony to welcome new students and at graduation to welcome new alumni.