The Greater Boston Area is known for many things: Harvard, MIT, startups, Revolutionary War, Minutemen, among other, but cloud-scrapping skyscrapers is not one of them. Of the tallest structures in the US, the first Boston building does not appear till number 75[1]. This becomes obvious when looking at the city from the Cambridge side of the Charles River - which I have done several times coming back from work. Three buildings conspicuously jut out in the skyline. While it is not impressive compared to Philadelphia or New York as an example, for the locals who eat and work in the area it is a sight to behold. On occasion I have wondered what are those buildings might be locally called, how tall are they, and how long have they been standing up straight? among other questions.
A quick internet search revealed a lot of trivia. Colloquially, these three skyscrapers are called Prudential, Hancock, and One Dalton and have quite similar heights, from 742 to 790 feet tall. Hancock is the tallest at 790 feet while Prudential is the oldest (built in 1964). Both of these are commercial properties which have offices housed inside them. One Dalton is the tallest hotel private residential building in Boston [1]. These landmarks are local icons, especially since Boston is a vertically deficient city in the present day.
From the Left to Right: Prudential (built in 1964, 749 feet tall), Hancock (1976, 790 feet), One Dalton (2019, 742 feet). Note that One Dalton is practically a neighbor to the Prudential.
However, it was not always like that. The Prudential towered over the entirety of America outside of NYC during its opening in 1964, surpassing the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, Ohio which had occupied the mantle since the 1930s [2]. This golden age did not last for long, as three other Skyscrapers came up in 1969 in San Francisco and Chicago [1]. The Prudential Tower is still the tallest structure in Boston and all of New England if the added antenna at the top is considered, and by far the most popular of the three. According to what one of my friends said, “Prudential is like a lighthouse in the Back Bay-Copley area. It would be easy to get lost in the city if it were not for this building. Prudential stares down at all of us like a loving father...” That might be a tad-bit dramatic but it does show its popularity among the local people. Its building height was surpassed by the Hancock Tower, which only opened in 1976.
Prudential vs Hancock. Prime vs Megatron. A battle for the ages.
If Prudential is like a loving father, Hancock is like the cranky uncle who was never loved as a child. Its construction history is riddled with problems from its inception, some of which include: Glass panes falling off due to strong winds, motion sickness due to the building rocking back and forth, and danger of toppling since the construction itself was faulty. As if to mirror its initial issues, it has changed management several times throughout the fifty or so years of its existence. Another friend of mine put a beautiful analogy, “Hancock to Prudential feels like Megatron to Optimus Prime. It tries really hard, but it can never match up to the Big P in spite of being way more powerful. Ultimately it is bound to fail as attested in every Michael Bay Transformers movie.” We just hope it doesn’t topple over like the buildings in a Michael Bay movie.
One Dalton is the new kid on the block, literally. It was opened a few months ago at the time of writing this article, and is located one block away from the Prudential tower and unlike its predecessors, is a hotel and residential property. Its building history has not been riddled with as many issues as Hancock, but it's still too early to say anything about it. However, only time will tell how it ages.
In short, Boston is not the tallest city in the world, but we humbly recognize the majesty of all the towers built in the city.
Sources:
[1]. https://en.wikipedia.org
[2]. https://www.emporis.com/buildings/119268/prudential-tower-boston-ma-usa
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