WESTERLY — Two summers ago, visitors to Watch Hill could stare at where the Ocean House used to be, or they could step into the sales trailer to look at a miniature model of the re-envisioned, re-created landmark.

Today, visitors will be able to see, large as life, the full outline of what the Ocean House is going to be — a year-round resort with five-star amenities, exclusive residences and public spaces that will allow all to enjoy the fresh breezes and spectacular ocean views.

In a topping-off ceremony at 2 p.m., the highest beam of the steel structure will be lowered into what will become the cornerstone of the Watch Hill skyline for perhaps as far into the future as the old hotel reached into the past, almost 140 years.

Bluff Avenue LLC, a partnership whose principal is Chuck Royce, has invited 500 guests to the celebration. A topping-off ceremony is a construction tradition in which the final beam, bearing the signatures of well-wishers, is hoisted into place and topped with an American flag and an evergreen tree to symbolize good will and good luck.

Anyone can sign the beam from 9 a.m. to shortly before the ceremony.

“We want the community to be as much a part of the future of the Ocean House as they have been in the past,” said Nicholas Moore, a lifelong seasonal resident and president of the partnership.

For safety reasons, visitors are asked to wear shoes appropriate for a construction site and to comply with parking instructions from police.

An excellent viewpoint for the topping off will be from East Beach, in Westerly, on the Block Island Sound side of Watch Hill.

Drivers on Bay Street who wish to avoid delays at Bluff Avenue, Plimpton Road and Westerly Road are advised to leave via Bay Street instead of turning up Larkin Road at the carousel.

The $135-million Ocean House is expected to open in early 2010.