Construction workers at the Wilshire Grand Tower in downtown Los Angeles installed a spire atop of the building’s rooftop on Saturday, thereby making it the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, and they snapped a picture to celebrate the historical moment.
The workers used a crane to lift the final piece of the steel spire and the building’s beacon onto the tower’s rooftop, giving the building its final height of 1,100 feet.
The building is now the tallest building on the West Coast, project officials announced Saturday in a news release.
Once in place, the beacon on top of the 294-foot and 9-inch spire, was wired for operation sending a buzz throughout the city.
“The Wilshire Grand is an important part of the economic resurgence that is transforming L.A.’s skyline and has created 122,000 new jobs across our city,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. “I congratulate the project team on reaching this milestone, and look forward to seeing the tallest building west of the Mississippi open its doors next year.”
The Wilshire Grand Center stands 73 stories tall and is approximately 85 percent complete, with project completion slated for 2017. The placement of the spire is the latest major milestone in the $1 billion project, officials said.
Construction began with a record-breaking concrete mat pour in February 2014.
“The Wilshire Grand is an iconic building—and the addition of its signature spire today marks an incredibly exciting moment for the project and for all of downtown Los Angeles,” said Chris Martin, CEO and president of A.C. Martin, the firm responsible for the building’s design. “In completing the spire today, we’re celebrating a major accomplishment and getting a glimpse of the Wilshire Grand’s bright future, which will redefine what it means to work, live and stay in downtown Los Angeles.”