Prior to the start of construction, "Good Housekeeping" moved to another Hearst Corporation structure, and two thousand employees were relocated. Work on the Hearst Tower started on April 30, 2003. The Hearst Magazine Building's interior was demolished during mid-2003. The original framework was left intact until new steel beams were installed, while the landmark facade was preserved and cleaned for $6 million. Steel construction began in March 2004. The floor slabs were erected at an average rate of one floor every four days, while the curtain wall was installed at a rate of one floor every six days. The Hearst Tower topped out on February 10, 2005. Although the first employees moved into the tower in the last week of June 2006, it was not officially completed until that October. In total, the Hearst Tower had cost $500 million. Shortly after completion, the Hearst Tower became the first New York City building to receive a LEED Gold certification for its overall design. The tower's LEED certification was upgraded to Platinum in 2012.