Topping Out Ceremony will Mark the Structural Completion of the $600 million Expansion

The Phoenix Convention Center will celebrate a major milestone in the construction of the new North Building on Feb. 25. The construction contractor, Hunt-Russell-Alvarado, is hosting a “Topping Out” ceremony which will mark the completion of the North Building structure, a significant milestone for the second phase of the $600 million expansion project.

The $600 million expansion of the city’s convention center began in 2004, and once completed, will triple the size of the former facility to nearly 900,000 square feet of event space.

The Phoenix Convention Center expansion project is a cooperative effort between the City of Phoenix and State of Arizona and is being completed in two phases. Phase One was completed in July 2006 with the opening of the new West Building. Phase Two, the North Building, scheduled for completion in December 2008, broke ground in May 2006.

The four-level North Building will be three times the size of the new West Building, and will feature amenities such as a 45,000 square foot street-level ballroom, a food court with five themed eateries and 56 meeting rooms.

On Feb. 25, crews will close Third Street between Monroe and Washington streets. Over 1,500 construction workers, contractors, and staff are expected to attend the ceremony. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Phoenix Councilman Michael Johnson will speak at the ceremony where a beam will be lifted with a tree as part of the Topping Out tradition.

The construction of the North Building is on schedule and will be complete in December 2008. It will accommodate its first groups in January 2009.