Exclusive first look from Liberty University Freedom Tower

LYNCHBURG (WSLS 10) - WSLS 10 received an exclusive view from the top of Liberty University's new Freedom Tower while it's still under construction.

LU President Jerry Falwell Jr. invited our news crew up for a first look with his family on Thursday afternoon.

We took a construction lift to the 15th floor and then climbed a ladder to the top to overlook the campus. We were about 250 feet above the ground. The tower will eventually be 275-feet tall.

Once completed, the Freedom Tower will house the School of Divinity.

"What people don't realize is that every floor will have a classroom that seats 49 people," said Jerry Falwell, Jr. "So it will get a lot of academic use."

There will also be meeting and event spaces inside the tower.

The completed tower will be 17-stories tall, but will appear much taller. It's the focal point of a half-billion-dollar campus

"Each floor is 14-foot ceilings, so it's really as tall as a 27-story building," said Falwell, Jr. "It's sort of the crowning jewel of all the building that we've done so far."

A replica of the Liberty Bell will hang in the top with 26 other bells.

The university hopes to open Freedom Tower this fall.