YNHH Facilities, Design and Construction staff joined construction crews at a Nov. 16 “topping-off” ceremony to mark placement of the McGivney Tower final beam. A second ceremony will be held for the Sherman Tower topping off. 

Sky-high handshake marks Neurosciences project milestone 

On Nov. 16, work on the Neurosciences Center and Bed Tower project at the Saint Raphael Campus briefly paused so employees, vendors and construction workers could watch the ceremonial final beam being locked into place. 

“This is what we call a topping-off ceremony,” said Tony Grasso, senior project manager, Facilities, Design and Construction, Yale New Haven Health. “We’re placing the last piece of steel on the McGivney Tower, which is the first of the two towers we’re building. The Sherman Tower will be the next one.”

The final McGivney beam stands out thanks to its white paint and signatures from the people who have had a hand in the building’s construction. Once the beam was in place, the two iron workers who locked it in shared a congratulatory handshake while standing on the beam.

The seven-floor McGivney Tower, built atop the existing McGivney Advanced Surgery Center, will include 112 single-bed rooms on medical and surgical intensive/intermediate units; a neurosciences ICU; and radiology and biomedical imaging. 

Preparations are under way for construction of the eight-floor Sherman Tower, which will include 102 single-bed rooms for medical and surgical orthopedic, spine, and neurosciences patients; neurosurgery ORs; and radiology and biomedical imaging. 

Another project milestone occurred in October, when the new Orchard Street Garage opened. Demolition has begun on the old Orchard Street Garage, which will be rebuilt. Together, the garages will provide 784 parking spaces, plus another 200 spaces in a garage beneath the Sherman Tower. 

The 505,000-square-foot, $838 million Neurosciences Center and Bed Tower project is scheduled to open to patients in 2027.

The project is being realized in part due to the philanthropic generosity of Stephen and Denise Adams of Connecticut. In recognition of their generosity, it is anticipated that a significant portion will be named the Adams Neurosciences Center. Lifelong supporters of the arts, education and health, Stephen and Denise Adams’ transformational leadership gift will advance the delivery of cutting-edge neurosciences research and care in Connecticut, New England and beyond.