As 360 State’s last metal girder was hoisted into the air, Tommy Mahfood leaned out from the second floor and began to blow.
The foreman’s jazz version of The Star-Spangled Banner filled the air as construction workers and dignitaries watched the high-rise’s final beam rise towards the peak of the building.
Mahfood’s serenade was the culmination of a “capping-off” ceremony on Friday at noon at 360 State, the new mixed-use tower under construction downtown at the corner of State and Chapel Streets. The event celebrated the placement of the building’s highest beam, marking the completion of 32 stories of steel framing.
When complete, it will be the second largest building in New Haven, housing offices, shops, 500 apartments, and a grocery store.
The final beam was painted a shiny white, allowing workers and city officials to mark it with their initials for posterity.
The I‑beam was topped by a Christmas tree and the American flag and carried a union banner.
A crowd of construction workers posed with the beam.
The ceremonial hoisting was preceded by remarks from the mayor, the building’s developer, and representatives of the construction company and workers’ union.
Tim White, a vice-president at Suffolk Construction, announced the building is going up under budget and ahead of schedule. White later said the company usually has a meal and a capping-off ceremony when the final beam is placed. “These guys work hard,” he said. “It’s a tradition.”
Bruce Becker (pictured), the building’s developer, highlighted the building’s green credentials. He later pulled out a chart showing that a family living in 360 State will create a carbon footprint only 19 percent of the size of a suburban single family household.
It was the project’s emphasis on environmentalism that led to a deal with the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop, he said. The store was offered a reduced-rate lease agreement to move to a new spot in 360 State. The new Devil’s Gear will be in Pitkin Plaza (pictured).
Becker said having a bike shop in 360 State helps to underscore the project’s commitment to lowering its carbon footprint through alternative transportation methods. There will be ZipCars available at 360 State, as well as ports for charging electric cars, he said.
Becker also later acknowledged Monday night’s Board of Aldermen approval for up to $50 million in Empowerment Zone bonding for 360 State. The bonding would require that 35 percent of the building’s future employees be residents of Empowerment Zones. The new grocery store going in the building would be “an ideal employer for that,” Becker said. (Background here.)
Andy Esposito (pictured), representing Ironworkers Local 424, offered words of praise for Mayor John DeStefano. He said DeStefano’s leadership ensured that minorities and local residents are working on the construction site.
After last-minute beam signatures and photo ops, two workers hooked cables to the beam and the huge crane slowly lifted it up. As it left the ground, the sound of a saxophone suddenly poured forth from above the crowd. The crowd turned with surprise to look at Mahfood, performing on the second floor. People laughed and clapped and then stood quietly with hands over their hearts as the beam rose higher, growing smaller as it moved up to the 32nd story. When Mahfood finished his version of the national anthem, the crowd erupted into applause.
The workers moved to the second floor for a catered lunch. They patted Mahfood on the back, thanking him as they walked by.
Mahfood, with his saxophone in a case over his shoulder, said he’s been playing for 30 years. That’s almost as long as he’s been doing iron work for Capco, the company putting up steel at 360 State.
Mahfood lives in Meriden and plays jazz and blues with a band in Mystic called the Mystic Horns. He said he usually plays his horn when the final beam is placed on a project he’s working on.
“It’s a nice touch, you know?” he said.
As the foreman of the “raising gang,” Mahfood has overseen the lifting of all the building’s girders. 360 State has been a “phenomenal” project to work on, he said. The building’s design has allowed it to come together very easily.
Inside, workers helped themselves to a several long tables of beef brisket, macaroni and cheese, and black bean patties. The meal was catered by Branford’s La Cuisine. A server said the beef chili was the dish most popular with the construction workers.
Over a plate of macaroni and cheese, Becker chatted with Kent Bloomer, the architect and Yale professor who designed the ornamented facade of the building. Bloomer said the tower was the “least heavy” of New Haven’s several downtown high-rises. “There’s a sense of lightness to this building,” he said.