College celebrates “Topping Out” new pharmacy facility with January 20 ceremony

The final beam of the new pharmacy facility will be adorned with names of the MUSC pharmacy family when the girder is lifted in place the week of January 24, 2022.

MUSC President David Cole will speak at a “Topping Out” Ceremony in honor of the occasion at 3 p.m. on January 20, 2022 in front of the construction site between the James W. Colbert Education Center and Library and the Basic Science Building.

“Our people are the heart of this college and we wanted them to be a permanent part of its physical structure,” said MUSC College of Pharmacy Dean Philip Hall, one of the luminaries scheduled to speak during the ceremony. “This building got built because of their hard work, commitment, and persistence.”

Expected to be on hand January 13, 2021, the beam will be available to be signed by college supporters through the ceremony next month. It will be located on the steam tunnel in front of Colbert on the Horseshoe, just outside the gates marking the construction site. The college also sent a mailing to alumni with stickers to sign and send back, for those unable to come to campus.

Appeasing the spirits

Topping out ceremonies are centuries old, dating at least as far back as the 8^th century Scandinavians who placed sheathes of grain on top of newly-built structures. Typical rituals include making a toast, raising a flag, having a meal… but almost all include placing a tree at the top to denote that the new structure has reached its greatest height.

There are many origin-story theories about the reason for the tree, including that it was to appease tree spirits whose forests provided shelter, food, and wood for fire. A tree’s topmost leafy branch would be placed on the structure made of its wood so the tree spirit would not be homeless. Another theory is it was to seek blessings of forest gods and ensure fertility of the land and the home.

There are also various theories as to why the practice continues in a mostly post-pagan world. “In cultures closely tuned to the natural environment, there may have been a pleasing visual analogy between the growth of a tree and the raising of a building,” wrote Mark Vanhoenacker in “What is a Tree Doing on Top of That Construction Site?” on slate.com. “Perhaps a prayerful humility was conjured by the (temporary) elevation of a tree above the top of a man-made structure.”

Whatever its origin, the topping out ceremony has come to represent a moment of great appreciation for all parties involved in a construction project. For an MUSC pharmacy family excited about the prospect of the college’s long-awaited new facility, the topping out ceremony is also the perfect way to start the historic year.