Milestone: final steel piece placed onto Little Caesars Arena

DETROIT (WJBK) - A milestone for the new home of the Detroit Red Wings.

The final piece of structural steel was put into place today at the 'Little Caesars Arena' in Detroit.

"Everybody is kind of amazed and in shock at how quick and efficient this building has gone up," said one of the workers.

It is a point of pride for the hundreds who put a hardhat on and work at the Little Caesar’s Arena construction site.

"This right here when it goes into place, it's going to mean a lot to the men and put into place," said a worker.

A symbolic beam adorned with signatures of the hundreds who have been working on this enormous structure.

"Five hundred-forty men and women such as yourselves are hard at work here on the site, each and every day," said Chris Ilitch.

Chris Ilitch, the son of Red Wings and Little Caesar’s Pizza owner Mike Ilitch, was there to mark this moment Thursday.

"Your work on this project makes you part of a historic comeback of Detroit," he said. "This town has been through some tough times, so to get all these jobs and hours it means a ton."

With that the signed beam, adorned with a flag and an Evergreen tree, was then hoisted high into the air and placed in its prominent spot.

The tree on top is a symbol that dates back hundreds of years and is typically placed on the highest beam of any structure, as it was at Little Caesars arena.

"The completion of the steel erected (structure) without any loss of life," a worker said.

And while the project itself is far from over, right now it's on schedule and going up safe and sound.

With the beam in place they have reached the pinnacle of this project however it will not open until Sept. 2017, which is three years after they first broke ground.