By JAMES FINK
Business First

For a few minutes Friday afternoon, two federal judges went back to the days of their youth when they worked in the steel industry.

And they loved every minute of it.

Clad in dark business suits more in tune with their judicial standing, U.S. District Court Western District Chief Judge Hon. Richard Arcara and fellow federal judge Hon. William Skretny reminisced about the days when Arcara tied rods for the Iron Workers union and Skretny spent one summer working at Republic Steel.

What made the pair think back to their steelworker days was watching the last steel beam on the $137 million downtown Buffalo federal courthouse move gently from the ground near Niagara Square to 238 feet above Delaware Avenue. In keeping with construction-industry tradition, a painted white beam was placed on top of the courthouse, representing the final structural element in a massive project that will change downtown Buffalo's landscape.

Both Skretny and Arcara signed the beam, as did members of Ironworkers Local No. 6 and construction crews from Cannon Design, the project's construction manager, and Mascaro Construction Co., the general contractor.

An American flag sat in the middle of the beam, and just to its right was a tree limb symbolizing the project's growth.

The beam was lifted under blue skies, and to a gentle round of applause, around 1:45 p.m. The 6-ton, 30-foot-long beam is the last of the thousands of pieces of steel to go into the courthouse.

"As a guy who used to tie (steel) rods for the iron workers, I found this fascinating," Arcara said.

The courthouse has been something of a personal mission for both Arcara and Skretny, who began lobbying for the building 15 years ago. Construction on the project began in the fall of 2007, with the courthouse scheduled to open by late summer 2010. Work continues on time and on budget, officials said.

"This is such a dramatic step," Skretny said. "We're watching a building going up, not down. It will change downtown for the better."

The courthouse's construction has become a source of free entertainment for downtown workers and visitors. Many were standing across Delaware Avenue, Niagara Square and Elmwood Avenue watching the beam rise to the top. Drivers were rubbernecking as they passed the site.

"People are talking about it," Arcara said. "I get questions about it all the time."