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| skyscrapers between 200 and 249 meters | |
| skyscrapers in boston | |
| 1964 architecture | |
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The Prudential Tower (part of the ''' Prudential Center ''' complex) is Boston 's second-tallest Skyscraper after the John Hancock Tower . It was designed by Charles Luckman And Associates for Prudential Insurance . Completed in 1964, the building is 750 ft (229 m) tall and has 52 floors. It dwarfed the 1947 John Hancock building, seen at the left in the photo, spurring the rival insurance company to build the 1975 John Hancock Tower which is just slightly taller at 788 ft (240 m). A 50th floor observation deck, called the '''Prudential Skywalk''', is currently the highest observation deck in New England that is open to the public (the John Hancock Tower's observation deck having been closed since 2001). It was the tallest building in the world outside New York on completion. Today, it is no longer even among the Fifty Tallest Buildings In The USA . Within Boston, in addition to the nearby John Hancock tower, many other tall buildings have since been built in the Boston's financial district, including the 614 ft (187 m) Federal Reserve Bank . The Pru, as it is called by locals, is today just one of many tall buildings, and is now regarded with indifference. Architecture writer Donlyn Lyndon called it "an energetically ugly, square shaft that offends the Boston skyline more than any other structure." The Prudential Center is currently owned by Boston Properties . The building is one of several Prudential Centers built around the United States (such as the Notable Tower In Chicago ) constructed as capital investments by Prudential Financial (formerly, The Prudential Insurance Company of America). Preceding Prudential Financial's demutualization, Prudential sold off many of its real estate assets, for instance most of the air rights in Times Square , and the Prudential Center in Boston, to put cash on the corporate balance sheets. Up until P&G 's 2005 acquisition of Gillette , many of the upper floors were home to the world headquarters of The Gillette Company . The building was sold to Boston Properties. However, Prudential Financial 's then head of global marketing, and Boston native, Michael Hines, suggested that the real estate deal only go through with the condition that Prudential retain the name and signage rights for the Prudential Center and Prudential Tower. Signage rights in Boston are very limited, and Prudential's are Grandfathered . The other notable backlit signs allowed above 100 feet include the State Street Bank sign, Sheraton sign, and Citgo Sign . Using similar negotiations, Prudential retains two notable signs in Times Square . PRUDENTIAL CENTER The Prudential Center is located in the Back Bay neighborhood at 800 Boylston Street and houses a successful 450,000 square foot (42,000 m²) Shopping Mall in the base. The site was part of the negotiations for the construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike extension in 1965, and has its own exit from the turnpike for this reason. The new skyscraper at 111 Huntington Avenue was completed in 2002. The Hynes Convention Center is connected to the complex, which is the largest mixed-use development in New England. The complex also includes two MBTA stops, Prudential and Hynes Convention Center/ICA . Prudential is on the Huntington Avenue side of the building, and is the first station on the Green Line "E" Branch after the split from the main line at Copley Square . Hynes Convention Center/ICA is a stop on the main Green Line across Boylston Street at the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue , a short walk from Hynes Convention Center or the Prudential Center. EXTERNAL LINK |
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