Topping-Off Ceremony at The Children's Center Utah

In a historical fashion with a modern twist, The Children’s Center Utah hosted a “Topping Off” ceremony on Thursday, November 13th. The event was organized in honor of installing the final steel beam on the building and featured speeches from members of the board of directors and other important dignitaries. Finally, as the beam was installed, attendees celebrated the milestone by sharing a toast with their favorite sodas.

That final steel beam features a fir tree and American flag, along with the signature of each participant of the event, including The Children’s Center Utah’s owners/board of directors, representatives from the state and Intermountain Health, the Zwick Construction project team, the Gardner Group, and others.

Topping off ceremonies are rich in history and symbolism. The tradition of including an evergreen tree on the final beam is rooted in a Scandinavian construction practice, dating back more than a thousand years. In 700 A.D., Scandinavians topped off their newly-completed structures with sheathes of grain. As this tradition spread across Europe, grain was substituted for pine trees. The tradition reached the United States around 1898, as Norwegian ironworkers brought their skills to shipyards and the growing skylines of the east coast.

In the steel trades, it signifies construction has reached its final height without loss of life or an injury. Signing the beam before hoisting is another time-honored tradition that is frequently celebrated on large steel structures.

For the owners of The Children’s Center Utah, the symbolism is even deeper. As expressed in many of the speeches, completing the steel structure represents building a strong foundation—which will in turn help the children who enter this facility also build a strong foundation of mental health. Along with the Zwick team, each attendee and stakeholder is excited about this large milestone. This event ran concurrently with a campaign across Utah to gather additional funds to build the center.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this topping off ceremony, especially the Zwick project team. We also recognize our steel trade partner, Ducworks/DanCo, who painted, hoisted, and installed the steel beam.

At its completion, The Children’s Center Utah will be a 23,000 SF, two-story care center with various classrooms, offices, and play areas. The facility provides comprehensive mental health care to enhance the emotional well-being of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families.