The Park Avenue West Tower in Portland, Ore. is all abuzz. High atop the 25th floor, Ironworkers are applying their skilled craftsmanship to the fourth tallest building in Portland. Thanks to Local Union 29 and Contractor Refa Erection for working on this project. It will be completed in December of 2015. 

When asked about working on the half-completed building, Iron Workers responded to the question of heights, by saying: “Part of the job is having a ‘very healthy respect for heights,” said Ironworker Mark Johnson. “But that takes getting used to.”

Brian Veele, Forman on the Park Avenue West Tower, has been an Iron Worker for 24 years said,  “You can’t focus. You see just what’s in front of you.”

“After you do it for a while, it’s like walking on a sidewalk,” says Iron Worker Paul Diaz.

To read the entire article, “Skyline cowboys: High above the city, ironworkers remake Portland’s face” by David Stabler for The Oregonian, go to http://bit.ly/16K2hHs . Photos by Kristyna Wentz-Graff.