Builders hustled to finish in a year
What happened next illustrates how builders finished a three-story, 83,000-square-foot building to honor the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in exactly 12 months — from groundbreaking on President Gordon B. Hinckley's 96th birthday to his 97th birthday on Saturday, when the last contractor left at 7:30 a.m. to take a shower before the dedication ceremony.
Contractors initially laid out a plan to finish the building in 15 months, a typical schedule.
"As they looked at it and as everyone recognized how much they wanted President Hinckley to see this building, they created an alternate plan, a 12-month plan," said John Lewis, BYU associate advancement vice president.
"We didn't have to work hard to convince people," said King Husein, owner of Span Construction and Engineering. "When you put President Hinckley's name on the building, it takes on a wonderful significance. The commitment level of the members of the church, of non-members, of alumni, friends and donors rose to a level I've never seen before."
They hauled 130 tons of sandstone from a Heber quarry and 310 tons of brick for the building's exterior and laid 53 miles of electrical wiring.
They installed 153 windows, many of them large and offering spectacular views of the valley below to the west and out to Utah Lake and the mountains.
A mild winter helped, BYU President Cecil Samuelson said.
But it looked like the light fixtures wouldn't make it. Finally, on Thursday morning, they arrived, but Lewis still wondered how crews could install them in time for the dedication.
"Okland said they had two different companies, one on the second floor and one on the third," Lewis said. "They decided to race each other.
"They were both done by 4 o'clock that afternoon."
That wasn't the only close call.
"The last 10 days seemed like two months," said Husein, who also builds Costco stores on short deadlines. "I wish it had been a leap year."
Sometimes he leaned on Ira Fulton, who has given tens of millions of dollars to BYU and was a major donor for the Hinckley Center.
"Ira's faith never wavered," Husein said. "I would call him at night to get encouragement."
"We were showing our love for President Hinckley," Fulton said. "He's overwhelmed at the tribute to him."
President Samuelson looked forward to honoring him in the future.
"I told him today we'd do something just as big for his 100th birthday," Samuelson said. "He said OK, so I told him I'd hold him to the promise."
Now, at least, Husein knows a secret.
"Next time we want a building done fast, name it for a living prophet."
E-mail: twalch@desnews.com
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