Tower Construction

Designed by St. Louis architects Becker & Flowers and built by Centralia general contractor Depew & Owen, tower construction began in late 1982. Site preparation required a specialized drill to excavate deep holes for the massive foundation supports.

Following the initial excavation, construction crews poured the thick concrete base. By early January 1983, workers had successfully set the grade beams into place, establishing a solid structural footprint for the building.

A giant crane, which required three semi-trucks for delivery, arrived on site on December 1, 1982. By February, work commenced on the steel skeleton affectionately nicknamed "Big Bertha," which was assembled on the ground into three distinct sections comprising the base, middle, and top of the tower.

The giant crane systematically hoisted the three prefabricated sections one by one, securing them into their final vertical positions. During this lifting process, the 173 interior stairs were already secured within the framework to provide future access to the 14th-floor playing room.

To provide additional stability to the tall steel framework, a specialized pumper truck was brought in to force wet cement up to the eighth floor, creating a solid, reinforcing concrete level. Concurrently, preparation work began at the base to construct the first-floor lobby and second-floor office areas.

The tower's base was subsequently clad in imported Austrian greenish-black granite. The upper structural sections were fitted with fiberglass side panels embedded with Mississippi River sand, which display slight color variations caused by floodwaters that occurred between the different shipments of the sand.

At the top of the tower, the belfry was enclosed in a stainless-steel "birdcage" screen designed to let air and sound pass freely while keeping birds out. Capped with a lead-coated copper roof and an attached lightning rod, the fully erected tower reached a final height of 160 feet.