Salem, MA Richard Walsh, president and chief executive officer of Walsh Brothers, Inc., joined the leadership of the North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) and local dignitaries including Dr. David Torchiana, CEO, Partners HealthCare, Dr. David Roberts, president, NSMC and Salem mayor Kim Driscoll at the “topping off” ceremony at the construction site of the new campus consolidation project. 

The “topping off” ceremony is a long-standing tradition in construction derived from an ancient Scandinavian builders’ rite and held now when the highest beam of steel is hoisted into place. In those times, a small tree was affixed to appease the tree-dwelling spirits displaced in the construction of the building. In the modern-day version, it marks an important milestone in the building process. The entire NSMC community, including executives, administrators and staff, along with construction workers were invited to sign the beam and then watched as it was raised into place.

The campus consolidation of the North Shore Medical Center Salem Campus will encompass the construction of a new 125,000 s/f, four-story building which will include a new emergency department, a two-story mechanical space, and two floors of medical-surgical inpatient beds. The existing Spaulding North Shore building will be converted to a 120-bed Center of Excellence in Behavioral Health. The project will also feature Central Utility Plant infrastructure upgrades, including the installation of a new chiller, cooling towers, and emergency generators. The project has been designed to achieve the sustainability standards of Partners HealthCare, and will pursue LEED Silver Certification.

This traditional ceremony, signifying the completion of the structural phase of the project, included remarks by Dr. Torchiana, Dr. Roberts, mayor Driscoll, Richard Holbrook, chairman of the board of NSMC, and Richard Walsh.