SHANGHAI -- The building of the Shanghai Disney Resort saw a milestone Thursday with the installation of the first steel column, company officials said.

This marks the completion of the majority of the foundation work and the official beginning of the vertical construction, said Howard Brown, senior vice president and project development executive of Shanghai Disney Resort.

"The construction team has been working very hard at the build site since groundbreaking and we are excited to see the progress every day," Brown said.

Construction of the resort began on April 8, 2011.

With the majority of foundation work complete, work has shifted to substructure construction to support the construction of buildings and infrastructure, the company said.

Over 23,000 concrete piles have been installed, and the amount of structural steel needed for the overall resort could reach 72,000 metrics tons, Disney said.

The resort will initially include Shanghai Disneyland, a Magic Kingdom-style park, two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and parking and transportation hubs, the company said.

"This is a really exciting moment for everyone working on this project, and for Shanghai," said Mike Crawford, general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort.

The resort is scheduled to open at the end of 2015.