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Read the press release here.

New Whitney Museum Building in the Meatpacking District Hits Full Height

By Andrea Swalec | December 18, 2012 1:05pm

MANHATTAN — The Whitney Museum of American Art's future home at Washington and Gansevoort streets is quickly taking shape.

The building reached its full height of nine stories on Monday, when construction workers placed the final steel beam atop the would-be museum that sits alongside the High Line and Hudson River Park.

In line with ironworker tradition, the hardhats attached a fir tree and an American flag to the 19-foot-long final beam. They also fastened a banner reading "NY Loves Newtown," to honor victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Whitney director Adam D. Weinberg said the 200,000-square-foot museum scheduled to open in 2015 will be an asset to the city.

“The future Whitney will be an aspirational space where contemporary artists can realize their visions and audiences can connect deeply with art," he said in a statement.

Construction buffs can track the progress of the project in real time via a webcam on the museum's website.