View Boston (Observatory) | Prudential Tower | Back Bay

bigpicture7 said:
More details shared by Boston Properties yesterday:
www.businesswire.com

Boston Properties Announces View Boston Observatory at Prudential Center

Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE: BXP), the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of Class A office properties in the United States, form
www.businesswire.com
From the above press release:
  • Immersive experiential exhibits and bistro on the 50th floor
  • Indoor/outdoor cocktail lounge and 360-degree outdoor viewing deck on the 51st floor
  • Double height (24-foot) indoor viewing space on the 52nd floor

Apparently this is being branded as "View Boston"
View attachment 17696
Click to expand...
2023 is a long timeline for such a small project
 
Top of the Hub was the name of the old skyroom restaurant that was on the 52nd floor. Skywalk was the name of the old obs deck that was on the 50th floor. Guess they wanted to get away from that & give it a somewhat more classy name.

I'm willing to bet that the John Hancock Tower will reopen its observatory & give it a fancy spruced-up name to compete with the Pru Tower. :)
 
Last edited:
Incidentally, Boston Properties owns both the Pru Tower & the John Hancock Tower! Didn't know that before!! :unsure:
 
stick n move said:
Some closeups of the new pru sign

Click to expand...

I work in Copley and get to see this up close a few times /week now (I think the screening came down around Thanksgiving on the eastern side).

When naturally lit by sunlight, the letters are much harder to notice and read now that they are on clear glass (versus the black backdrop from before); that problem goes away late day on the eastern side as the building is naturally back lit with the setting sun.

The letters themselves do have the capability to be colorized now; two nights ago presumably during a test for the December nightly lighting event, the letters were a mix of red and green.
 
Looks nice, but can't see it that well, unless it's up a little closer. :unsure:
 
Last edited:
I enjoyed this piece and feel similar to the author:

www.bostonmagazine.com

Why Is It So Hard to Get a Good View in Boston?

One of the joys of living in a modern city is getting to see it from above.
www.bostonmagazine.com www.bostonmagazine.com

This sentiment really captures my love of cities in general:
...Rather than being overwhelmed by the scale of the city, I found it easier to imagine myself as one constituent part of it, neither more nor less important than any other. If only all of Boston could have this feeling. It’s a sensation everyone deserves, not just the handful who can afford to rent the best views in town. And Boston should be the kind of city that can offer it to us.
Click to expand...
 
Does anyone know if construction has started for the Grand Entrance to the Observation Deck, located in the Garden Court near Blue Bottle?
 
bigpicture7 said:
I enjoyed this piece and feel similar to the author:

www.bostonmagazine.com

Why Is It So Hard to Get a Good View in Boston?

One of the joys of living in a modern city is getting to see it from above.
www.bostonmagazine.com www.bostonmagazine.com

This sentiment really captures my love of cities in general:
Click to expand...

That's a great article! The person writing the article missed the free observation deck at Independence Wharf. Plus, there are a few rooftop bars with good skyline views such as Six West in South Boston. I do very much agree with the article. The very FIRST place I would take a visiting friend or family member was the John Hancock Observatory. I think it really oriented people to the layout of the city, plus the diorama showing Boston in 1775 was a nice overview of that slice of history. At the John Hancock, you were so much closer to the towers of the financial district compared to the Prudential. It was very impressive.
 
Java King said:
That's a great article! The person writing the article missed the free observation deck at Independence Wharf. Plus, there are a few rooftop bars with good skyline views such as Six West in South Boston. I do very much agree with the article. The very FIRST place I would take a visiting friend or family member was the John Hancock Observatory. I think it really oriented people to the layout of the city, plus the diorama showing Boston in 1775 was a nice overview of that slice of history. At the John Hancock, you were so much closer to the towers of the financial district compared to the Prudential. It was very impressive.
Click to expand...
I remember going up to another observation area at the old Hancock Building in the younger days…26 floors up as I recall. Nice view.
 
I recall that the Hancock observation deck was not reopened after 9/11 because the execs said there wasn’t a fully separated access to the deck. It was a convenient scape goat.
 
RandomWalk said:
I recall that the Hancock observation deck was not reopened after 9/11 because the execs said there wasn’t a fully separated access to the deck. It was a convenient scape goat.
Click to expand...

I think that's the biggest crocka horsecrap this side of Pluto!! They closed it for fear of a terrorist attack. The Pru had also closed it's obs deck, but had later reopened it. :unsure:
 
RandomWalk said:
I recall that the Hancock observation deck was not reopened after 9/11 because the execs said there wasn’t a fully separated access to the deck. It was a convenient scape goat.
Click to expand...
Well…from experience…it is rather true. While it did have a separate entrance from the street…once you got by the ticket booth…you were kind of on the honor system to get on the elevator to the deck. I learned just to tell them that I needed to use the Bank Of Boston ATM in the lobby…and I would get in without buying a ticket. Not the most secure of situations.
 
Nibbles O’Plenty said:
Well…from experience…it is rather true. While it did have a separate entrance from the street…once you got by the ticket booth…you were kind of on the honor system to get on the elevator to the deck. I learned just to tell them that I needed to use the Bank Of Boston ATM in the lobby…and I would get in without buying a ticket. Not the most secure of situations.
Click to expand...

went to high school a couple blocks away and we essentially did just that (i thought it was a baybank?) to sneak up to the observation floor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top