EACC Fine Arts Center Topping Out Ceremony

EACC and Nabholz Construction, Inc. recently held a “Topping Off’ ceremony at the construction site of the EACC Center for Fine and Performing Arts on the College campus. The ceremony marks the placement of the final beam in the Center’s steel structure and was observed as a thanksgiving for a safe construction phase completed. Community members, faculty, staff and members of the Board of Trustees and Foundation signed the final beam prior to it being hoisted into place by the giant crane on-site.
   
This kind of ceremony has an interesting history. In centuries past in the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe, the evergreen was considered a good spirit.  The evergreen was a part of the celebration of these people at the completion of a shelter-home or other type of building.  They placed an evergreen on the highest point of the structure to ward off evil spirits and dedicate the building to good spirits.
   
In the 19th Century, as the people of northern Europe came to America, many of them became construction craftsmen, building structures in northeastern United States. They brought with them, not only their construction skills, but also their customs; in particular, the topping out of new buildings with the evergreen tree. Even though the meaning has changed somewhat, we continue this tradition of attaching an evergreen tree and an American flag to the last beam to celebrate the completion of the most dangerous phase of construction and to symbolize our thanksgiving for a safe project well done.