The high reaching structure of a 120-foot tower crane first appeared on the future site of the Katzen Arts Center on Tuesday and will be finished by the end of the week, according to Jerry Gager, director of the Office of Facilities Planning and Development.
The crane is the first of three to be used simultaneously on the site. They will aid in the unloading of trucks along Massachusetts Avenue and in placing the stone panels along the outside of the center. The cranes at each end of the site will be the same size while the middle crane will be shorter, Gager said.
Gager said that excavation is moving along in a "fairly high productivity time." The two remaining cranes will be installed in early 2004, once the excavation is complete, and will remain until exterior construction is complete in Fall 2004.
The center is the future home of the Department of Performing Arts and is scheduled to open by Spring 2005.
