Masonry Magazine September 1979 Page. 29
Trees Top Out New Buildings
By Tradition
EDITOR'S NOTE: We read and hear about numerous "topping out" ceremonies each year, but how did the tradition begin? Bruce T. Hurban, vice president of estimating/engineering, Gilbane Building Co., Providence, R.I., did some research and came up with the following account of how it all started. His account originally appeared in Gilbane's publication, "Sidewalk Superintendents."
Amid the concrete and steel of downtown construction sprout the trees of another era. The trees are remnants of a time when builders thought they had to appease the gods whose trees they felled for construction.
Today, the topping of a building with trees is a contractors' tradition begun years ago by Scandinavians who believed their gods lived in trees. Early Scandinavians would place the top-most branches of trees, cut for lumber in the construction, atop their completed buildings. They believed this prevented incurring the wrath of both their gods and the souls of man, since man's soul was believed to originate in trees and return to them.
To live amiably among the tree gods, these early folk accompanied the topping out with festivity and ceremony, culminating it with the pouring of win at the foot of the tree. With this, they thought the building and its occupants would gain good luck, since no tree god would wreak vengeance on so devout a believer.
The ceremony was seen by early inhabitants of England as a way to solve their dilemma since they also were mortally terrified of cutting down even one tree. But the English could not believe their tree gods preferred wine over English ale, so they changed the libation.
Germans heartily concurred with the English choice of offerings. But when unable to use a fir tree in the topping out because of the building owner's miserliness, the Germans substituted a broom. No one knows how the gods reacted to a broom, but the effect on owners must have been stupendous, because soon topping outs brought trees, the mayor, a band, and humorous verses from the master builder between drinks.
Soon, tree gods were looked upon as more benevolent and there was a ceremonial shift to declarations of sturdy and lasting craftsmanship and symbols of good luck for the owners. The tradition continued recently when we raised "Old Glory" to the top of our evolving corporate headquarters.
Rehabilitation of Buildings Saves Energy
A recent federal government study showed that rehabilitation of existing buildings, rather than demolition and new construction, saves energy.
The study estimated that reuse of the Grand Central Arcade, an old hotel in Seattle, Wash., will have an energy advantage over an equivalent new structure for the next two centuries.
A small brick carriage house in Washington, D.C., that was turned into three apartments, will conserve enough energy over a 30-year period to heat and cool an equivalent new apartment building for more than 10 years.
The total energy investment to renovate and operate Lockefield Garden Apartments, a large complex in Indianapolis, Ind., would be less than the amount of energy required to contruct and operate new facilities for more than 50 years.