Construction of the new Ohio Union reached a new milestone Friday as students, faculty, family and construction workers took part in the "Topping Off" ceremony for the new building.
The ceremony featured the placement of the final steel beam on the highest point of the new Union.
"It's an exciting time for us," said Kurt Foriska, assistant director of the Union. "This marks the transition into that this building is definitely coming, so I think it added some excitement to the students. It'll be a state-of-the-art facility."
The beam was signed by faculty, construction workers and the I Beam Society, a diverse group of 88 students representing each of the 88 counties in Ohio.
The group, comprised mostly of freshmen, offered an opportunity for students who had not used the old Union to be a part of the new building, Foriska said.
Tyler Brooks, a freshman in sport and leisure studies, applied to represent Washington County.
"I think it'll be a cool thing to say to my kids and my grandkids that I signed (the beam) and I was part of the whole construction here," Brooks said. "A part of me will kind of always be in there; it's kind of a monumental thing. It's going to be here and will probably outlast some of us."
And although Brooks had been to the old Union while visiting his sister for Sibs Weekend, he said he is excited to see the new building replace its outdated predecessor.
"I'd say it was time for a change. Sometimes the old things are cool, like Mirror Lake and old architecture on campus," he said. "But I think (the Union) will be nice because it's right here on High Street and on display for the university."
Construction of the Union is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2010 and new members to the I Beam Society are expected to be added each year until the building's opening, Foriska said.
Eric House can be reached at house.93@osu.edu.
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