Ballpark Steel Structure Tops Out
View Photo SlideshowOver 700 workers gathered together on Wednesday, the 11 of July 2007 for the Ballpark topping out ceremony. The workers were treated to a barbecue lunch provided by Clark/Hunt/Smoot as a way of saying thanks for the effort and hard work put into the construction of the stadium.
The stadium is on schedule with a strict deadline for the start of the baseball season in April of 2008. The future home of the Washington Nationals is really starting to take shape. All but two light towers are completed, the center field restaurant has started to form walls, the score board has a defined shape, and hundreds of blue seats are popping up in right field.
The topping out ceremony is a turning point in the stadium construction where the focus on the structure shifts to focus on interior finishing. Topping out is a ceremony done when the last beam is placed at the highest point of the building. During our ceremony, the workers had a chance to sign their name on the final piece of steel. Some workers left messages of support to the nationals, “Go Nats,†and others messages of support to D.C. “Make A Difference.†When the final piece of steel is placed it will be painted with the signatures of workers who built the stadium and accompanied by and American flag and a traditional evergreen tree for good luck.
A wide verity of patrons attended the ceremony, to honor the hard work from the construction team. Mayor Fenty made it out to the Ballpark, along with Alley Lew who just passed his role as chief executive of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission off to Gregory O’Dell, also in attendance. The president of the Nationals, Stan Kasten, made it to the ceremony along with other Clark/Hunt/Smoot officials.
The topping out celebration was a tremendous success appreciated by all. The large local union work force signed there place in history while wearing smiles of pride in the hard work they have accomplished.