“Topping Out” the New Upper School Academic Center
Construction workers celebrated the placing of the last steel beam in the new Upper School academic center with a “Topping Out” ceremony on Tuesday, May 27.
According to an article in the Fall 2001 issue of Western Folklore, "’Topping out’ is the term used by ironworkers to indicate that the final piece of steel is being hoisted into place on a building.... The project is not completed, but it has reached its maximum height.” The final beam is put into place with a small evergreen tree and an American flag attached.
The article continues, “The piece is usually painted white and signed by the ironworkers and visiting dignitaries.” (At GSB, Headmaster Sid Rowell and the employee who has been at the school the longest, Junie Hockenbury, signed the beam.)
Decorating the top of a building with an evergreen is an ancient tradition said to bring good luck to those who occupy the building.
