History of the "Topping Out" Ceremony

The beam and the tree represent one of the construction industry’s oldest customs – the "topping out" of a completed project. To discover the origin of the topping out, it’s necessary to trace the development of human shelter.

At one time, Europe was covered with a vast forest. Those who inhabited the forest were dependent on trees for their survival. The full, low-hanging boughs provided shelter, the nuts and fruits furnished food, and the fallen dead wood supplied kindling for fires. Because of this great dependence on the forest, people began to revere trees. In fact, trees were the most common deity in Europe prior to the adoption of Christianity.

Scandinavian mythology suggests that humans originated from trees and our souls returned to the trees after death, giving each tree a spirit of its own.

Humans began constructing their shelter with wood. Before cutting a tree, they would formally address the forest, reminding it of the consideration they had always shown toward the trees and asking the forest to grant use of a tree for construction of their home. When the house was complete, the topmost leafy branch of the tree used would be set atop the roof so that the tree spirit would not be rendered homeless. The gesture was supposed to convince the tree spirit of the sincere appreciation of those building the home.

As time passed, the early conception of tree worship gradually changed. The individual tree spirits merged into a single forest god who could pass freely from tree to tree. Trees were no longer placed atop the home to appease spirits, but rather to enlist the blessings of the forest god. The tree branches on top of the home ensured fertility of the land and the home.

The custom of placing a tree on a completed structure came with immigrants to the United States and became an integral part of American culture in barnraisings and housewarmings.

Today thecustom is continued most frequently on completed structures such as bridges and skyscrapers. Ironworkers have carried on the topping out tradition and consider it their own. While others join the celebration of topping out, it is the ironworkers and their skills that make them first to reach the pinnacle of a structure, and it is around this group of workers that topping out revolves.

From The Ironworker, published by the International Association of Bridge, Structural, and Ornamental Ironworkers, Washington, DC.