The School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Capital Programs celebrated its first-ever Steel Topping Out ceremony at the T.M. Peirce work site. The last steel beam placed is a major milestone in the evolution of a building project. This milestone is commemorated by painting the beam white and having the steel erection crew, construction team, designers, owners, and other dignitaries sign the beam for posterity.

The beam was lifted while topped with a small evergreen tree and an American flag on opposite ends of the beam. This celebrated the construction process and was the first introduction of the building to the public. This event celebrated the major accomplishments of the combined efforts of  BSI Construction, LLC, Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, and Blackney Hayes Architects in partnership with our Office of Capital Programs team. The tree is representative of construction reaching the sky without loss of life or injury and good tiding to all who work and learn at this building. The Capital team joined COO Reggie McNeil and school principal Anthony Gordon and added their signatures to this symbol of change and progress for the North Philadelphia section of the city.