Photo by Cathie Rowand/The Journal Gazette

Modern technology and ancient customs mingled June 28 at the topping out ceremony for Fort Wayne Newspapers' new press building on West Main Street at Van Buren Street.

The 47,000-square-foot building will house a 60-foot-tall, six-tower printing press, part of the $34.8-million expansion by the newspaper publishing company jointly owned by The News-Sentinel and The Journal Gazette.

Larry Weigand, president and owner of Weigand Construction, explained why the topping out ceremony — which formally places the final steel beam at the highest level of the new building — is an important milestone for big construction projects by explaining why that beam is hoisted into place topped by an American flag and a tree.

"The flag sits on the beam as a sign of patriotism of all of us here," Weigand said. "And historically it is to show that no lost-time accidents were recorded on the project, which is true in our case here."

The symbolism of the tree has roots in ancient customs designed to exorcise evil spirits or appease gods and win their favor for a successful building venture. Weigand called attention to the belief that the gods, rather than the skill of the construction workers, determined that success, and he apologized to the construction crew members who were also in attendance at the ceremony as his audience laughed.

He cited historical evidence of the Romans throwing humans into the River Tiber as a sacrifice to the gods when the Pons Sublicus bridge was finished in 621 B.C. He explained that the ancient Chinese smeared chicken blood on the main structure of a new building, perhaps to fool the gods, as a sacrifice.

"I have a lot of confidence in our construction team and tradesmen, so these types of sacrifices are unnecessary," he said.

But the tree topping the steel beam has symbolic links to Native American beliefs that no man-made structure should be taller than a tree and that the tree should be the tallest point. Therefore the structure should have that same life. Trees are powerful symbols, he said, noting that Scandinavian mythology suggests that humans originated from a tree and that their souls return to the trees after death.

The ceremonial steel beam was a special one. It had been signed with permanent markers by Fort Wayne Newspapers employees over the preceding two days so their names will always be a part of the building.

"The topping out ceremony," Weigand concluded, "also symbolizes the satisfaction of a job well done thus far and, most of all, good luck for the future inhabitants."    

FAST FACTS

The building: 47,000-square-feet

The press: Six towers 60 feet tall, weighing 1,047.1 Tons

Construction materials used:
3,000 cubic yards of concrete,
equal to 300 mixer trucks full

75,000 bricks laid

19,000 masonry blocks laid

6,500 cubic feet of southern Indiana limestone

426 tons of steel