Northeast Tower Roof Goes Up To Stay

I was intrigued when I arrived at the site this afternoon and saw work going on under one of the tower roofs.

I didn't have to wait very long before Mr. Crane lifted it up.  You might think you are experiencing deja vu, but this time, the tower roof is permanent.

In a bit of trivia, the man on the left was the man inside the roof in the first picture.  He ran from the edge of the lot near Center Street, and then climbed up the tower to be part of the team receiving the roof from the crane.

The yellow ladder helped speed him on his way.

I bet you've always wondered what the inside of the tower roof looks like.  My camera zoomed in while the roof was suspended.  The dark wood is original from when the roof caps were built in the 19th century.  Someone's safety harness is there so the men on the tower could pull the roof into place.

And here it is, finally, to stay.

If you are a construction cam follower, you saw the northwest cap in place for a few hours this morning while it was measured.

As exciting as it was to watch the tower roof, there was action on the ground, too.  Green rebar is being placed to support the underground foyer which will extend south from the current footprint of the tabernacle.  I have wondered how many temples have an underground entrance.  I don't know the answer, but someone does.

I'm very interested for the brick restoration to begin.  I hope the scaffolding stays open so we can watch.

A workman with a measuring tape tells me we don't have long to wait.

The east side from Center Street to the south side of the tabernacle is now mostly one grade.  These men are cutting and placing rebar, which I think means more concrete.

Slowly but surely concrete is covering the south lot.  Two dashing track hoes were working in this far corner this afternoon.  Do we really need another big hole at the site?

It is amazing to watch so much equipment move all over the lots.

The big rolls in the center of this picture are tension cables for the west parking and mechanical shop roof.  They were moved from the southwest corner of the tabernacle this week.  The ice-filled hole on the right is for the base of the pavilion elevator.

It's interesting to watch the layers of the roof from the cam. Plywood was placed on top of the steel decking.  The lower edge under the tar paper has heat tape.

I zoomed in, googled and learned that the blue and white layer is water and ice protection.  

The same process is happening on the south side.

I assumed this was heat tape.  I can see the grooves, but not the tape.

Last week the area above the black concrete blankets was covered with a big bubble. Concrete was poured there Monday. The entrance from First West is behind the plywood in the center of this picture.

We'll drive past the new foyer to the south parking garage.

I watched workmen attach a concrete form to the bottom of this black frame.  The new crane then stood it on its feet.  

There are stacks of black frames, a mystery.

Forms have been removed from the emergency stairwell.  You can see the doorway inside the concrete rectangle.

The lone tower roof stands in the north lot, anxious to be up with his buddies.  Notice the cooling tower which was recently moved into place along the north side of the west lot, on the left side of this picture.

The cooling tower is visible on the left of this picture, too.  It is part of the temple's HVAC system.  The distance helps keep the temple quiet.

Forms for the roof of the mechanical shop are moving east, on the right corner of this picture.  At some point those tension cables in the south lot are going to be laid in the trenches in the forms.

By the way, it was a beautiful day.