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VIPs attending the Topping Out ceremony for St. Anthony Hospital sign the last steel beam before its placement on the building. The beam, 28 feet, 5 inches long, weighs nearly 1,700 pounds. |
Several dozen VIPs, community and business leaders attended the Topping Out ceremony at the site of Gig Harbor’s St. Anthony hospital on Dec. 14. The ceremony marked a major construction milestone — the placing of the last and highest steel beam in the building’s internal structure.
The topping out is an ironworker tradition dating back several hundred years, that originated in Europe. Part of the tradition includes the placement of an evergreen tree that is the symbol of safety and good fortune. There have been no serious injuries to date in the St. Anthony construction project.
The Dec. 14 gathering also marked the beginning of construction of the 85,000-square-foot medical building that will be adjacent to the hospital and connected via a sky bridge. The building will house a variety of outpatient services including a cancer care center.
A leadership committee has been working on raising funds for the cancer center as well as additional funding to help offset the increase in the total costs (estimated at $150 million) due to previous delays. The group has secured several major donations, including $1.5 million from the George F. Russell Jr. Fund at The Russell Family Foundation.
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