The new Gilcrease Museum sees another step toward opening.
A ceremony celebrating the completion of the building's exterior framing was held Wednesday. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum spoke at the event, saying the project has come a long way since being approved by voters.
“This is Vision Tulsa in action. We put on the ballot in 2016 the opportunity for Tulsans to vote on game-changing initiatives. This was the single most expensive project in that entire package of over two dozen different items,” said Bynum.
A so-called topping-out ceremony celebrates the highest beam of a structure. David Kollman, regional president for construction company FlintCo, said the ritual that sometimes sees a tree being affixed to the highest beam in a new building is ancient.
“Really, the topping-out ceremony dates back many years. Topping-out was considered an offering to tree spirits for the timber used to build the facility,” said Kollman.
The new Gilcrease will be more than 90,000 square feet. Construction is expected to be completed late next year.