Prudential Tower
Prudential Tower | |
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![]() Vertical panoramic view of the Prudential Tower | |
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Record height | |
Tallest in Boston from 1964 to 1976[I] | |
Preceded by | Custom House Tower |
Surpassed by | John Hancock Tower |
General information | |
Type | Office, Observation, Restaurant, Retail |
Location | 800 Boylston Street Boston, Massachusetts 02199 |
Coordinates | 42°20′49.78″N 71°04′57.08″W / 42.3471611°N 71.0825222°W |
Construction started | 1960 |
Completed | 1964 |
Height | |
Antenna spire | 907 feet (276 m) |
Roof | 749 feet (228 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 52 |
Floor area | 1.2 million square feet (111,484 m2) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | The Luckman Partnership |
Developer | Boston Properties |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/04_Prudential_Tower.jpg/220px-04_Prudential_Tower.jpg)
The Prudential Tower, also known as the Prudential Building or, colloquially, The Pru,
A 50th-floor observation deck has been the highest such location in New England open to the public, as the higher observation deck of the John Hancock Tower (now 200 Clarendon Street) has been closed since the September 11 attacks in 2001. Scheduled to close permanently on April 18, 2020, the Prudential's "Skywalk" was closed until further notice in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In June 2023 the top three floors opened as View Boston, consisting of a 52nd floor enclosed observation deck and gift shop; a 51st floor bar and al fresco observation deck with tables, chairs, and some couches; and a 50th floor bistro requiring reservations.[5]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Pru1963.jpg/220px-Pru1963.jpg)
The Prudential Tower began construction in 1960 with steel erection work by Donovan Steel. Upon its completion in 1964, the Prudential was the tenth tallest building in the world and the tallest building in North America outside of
The newly built Prudential Tower dwarfed
Today, the Prudential is no longer among the
Critical reception
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Gosoxpru.jpg/220px-Gosoxpru.jpg)
When it was built, the Prudential Tower received mostly positive architectural reviews. The
Ownership
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/111-Huntington-Ave.jpg/250px-111-Huntington-Ave.jpg)
The Prudential Center is currently owned by
Features and design
Lighting
The tradition of using the window lights to support local sports teams and events began at its inception in 1964 supporting the charity drive for the United Fund, a predecessor
In the 1999, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018 Major League Baseball playoffs, the building's tenants turned on and off their lights to spell out "GO SOX", providing a visual for Boston Red Sox fans nearby and at Fenway Park.[13] The tower appears in nearly all pictures of deep right field from the left field line, and is prominently featured in most broadcasts from the park.
A normal display of 91 foot tall letters takes over 140
On April 22, 2013, the City of Boston requested the lighting of the Prudential Tower with the number "1" in support of The One Fund Boston and those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing. The display was seen on the north side of the building, overlooking Boylston Street, where the tragedy occurred just a week earlier.[14]
Over the past few years, the Prudential Tower has been illuminated through
Prudential Center
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Prudential_Center_courtyard%2C_Boston%2C_MA.jpg/220px-Prudential_Center_courtyard%2C_Boston%2C_MA.jpg)
The Prudential Center, situated on 23 acres (93,000 m2), is in the
The new skyscraper at 111 Huntington Avenue was completed in 2002, directly across the street from The Colonnade Hotel, at 120 Huntington Avenue. The third tower of the Prudential Center, 101 Huntington Avenue, is, at a mere 25 stories, overshadowed by the other two.
The
The complex has direct indoor connections to two
high-speed train.The Prudential Center serves as one of three starting locales for the Boston Duck Tours, a popular tourist attraction in the city.[21]
In November 2016, a 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m2) Eataly location was opened, replacing the existing food court.
The "Top of the Hub" restaurant, which had occupied the 52nd floor since December 1965,[22] was scheduled to permanently close on April 18, 2020,[23] but was closed a month earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Antenna and broadcast tenants
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d7/Prudential_Tower_Boston_2012.jpg/170px-Prudential_Tower_Boston_2012.jpg)
The main rooftop mast supports two FM master antennas, and a top-mounted television antenna previously used by
The studios of FM station
List of tenants
Notable tenants of the Prudential Center include:
- Accenture[24]
- Advent International
- Boston Properties
- Eversource Energy
- Federal Home Loan Banks
- Gordon Brothers
- Heidrick & Struggles
- MFS Investment Management
- Partners HealthCare
- Regus
- Robins Kaplan LLP
- Ropes & Gray
- SAS
- Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.
- Wayfair
- Willis Towers Watson
See also
References
- ^ Burge, Kathleen (16 July 2006). "Made You Look!". The Boston Globe. p. C1. Retrieved 2013-07-24.subscription required
- ^ Feeney, Mark (3 February 1998). "The Homely Landmark's a Skyscraper We Can't Stop Looking Down On, But in '65, It Gave The City a Big Boost". The Boston Globe. p. C1. "'The Pru' everyone calls it: a resigned shrug of a name, as flat and uninflected as the wan moue its pronunciation requires."
- ^ "Prudential Tower". SkyscraperPage.
- ^ a b Kuschner, Erin (March 26, 2020). "Top of the Hub has permanently closed". Boston.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^ "Experience Boston: Observation Deck, Dining & Shopping". View Boston. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ Fenton, John H. (18 April 1965). "Center in Boston To Be Dedicated". The New York Times. p. R1. Retrieved 2013-07-24.subscription required
- ^ Huxtable, Ada Louise (19 April 1964). "Renewal in Boston: Good and Bad". The New York Times. p. X24.
- ISBN 0-394-74894-8.
- ^ Campbell, Robert (28 January 1990). "Rebuilding the Pru Disaster". The Boston Globe. boston.com. p. B33. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ "Prudential Center". Boston Properties. Archived from the original on 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ 1964 aerial photo of the Back Bay hanging in my office.
- ^ a b Small, Eddie (2013-12-05). "Prudential To Throw Light on Nonprofits". The Boston Courant. Courant Publications, Inc. pp. 1 and 10.
- ^ "Prudential Center's Sox cheer was a tall order for engineers". The Boston Globe. boston.com. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ Grillo, Thomas (22 April 2013). "Pru Tower to light up in memory of bombing victims". Boston Business Journal. bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ "Prudential Tower will light up for the holidays". The Boston Globe. boston.com. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ DeCanio, Lisa (9 October 2011). "15 Facts You Never Knew About the Pru". BostInno. Streetwise Media. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ "Amenities". Boston Properties. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ "399 Boylston Street/Warren Chambers Building". Urban Land Institute. 1986. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ Blanton, Kimberly (18 May 2005). "The lure of luxury leads to Boylston St". The Boston Globe. boston.com.
- ^ Carlock, Catherine (25 September 2016). "Boston Properties wants 888 Boylston to be 'the most sustainable building in Boston'". Boston Business Journal. bizjournals.com. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Tickets". Boston Duck Tours. Archived from the original on 2013-08-05. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ Yudis, Anthony (November 5, 1965). "In Training At the Top". The Boston Globe. p. 22. Retrieved March 26, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Louise, J. Q. (15 January 2020). "Top of the Hub to close April 18". Boston Herald. bostonherald.com. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ^ "Locations: Accenture Office Directory". Accenture. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
External links
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