Topping Off Ceremony at Center for Cancer Care at Winchester Hospital

Between groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting is a ceremony in the construction of many modern buildings called a topping off. It occurs when the highest structural element is about to be swung into place. A symbolic component of the ceremony is a small pine tree which is placed on top of the beam. The tree tradition was adopted by Norwegian ironworkers in 1898 as a way to symbolize the workers' respect for nature's contribution to the building process. Over the years, it has been defined as a way to signify a job well done or to represent new growth. It has also been used to announce that the construction has reached the sky without loss of life or serious injury, and as a symbol for well wishes.

The ceremony is an opportunity to recognize the men and women whose time, talents and support have brought us this far. Although a great deal of labor still lies ahead, putting the last beam in place on our new cancer center is symbolic of how far we have come, and of the promise that will be fulfilled when we open the doors in the summer of 2011.

About Winchester Hospital

Winchester Hospital is the first community hospital in Massachusetts to earn Magnet recognition, the American Nurses Association's highest honor for nursing excellence. As the northwest suburban Boston area's leading provider of comprehensive health care services, the 229-bed facility provides care in general, bariatric and vascular surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, cardiology, pulmonary medicine, oncology, gastroenterology, rehabilitation, radiation oncology, pain management, obstetrics/gynecology and a Level IIB Special Care Nursery. Winchester Hospital has clinical affiliations with several nationally recognized hospitals in the region, including Children's Hospital Boston, Tufts Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. To learn more, visit www.winchesterhospital.org.