“Topping Out” Ceremony, November 21, 2006

Signed by employees, students, President Dougherty and Rev. Hickey, the final steel beam is prepared for placement.

The Forbes Avenue expansion project marked a milestone on Nov. 21 with the “topping out” of the new multi-purpose recreation center construction. A cherished custom of ironworkers, “topping out” is a traditional ceremony signaling that a structure has reached its peak height and the steel work is complete.

Hundreds of Duquesne employees and students attended the ceremony, signing the final steel beam, which also held a Duquesne flag and an American flag. They gazed skyward at the puzzle of steel beams that form the building’s framework as President Charles J. Dougherty and the Rev. Timothy J. Hickey, C.S.Sp., executive director of Mission and Identity, spoke of how this new facility would help fulfill the University’s mission and serve its students. Once Dr. Dougherty and Fr. Hickey added their signatures and blessed the beam, it was hoisted upward and settled into its place on highest part of the structure.