1972 to 1976
I. M. Pei
Boston, Massachusetts

John Hancock Tower
Copyright © Mary Ann Sullivan
Digital Imaging Project

During construction of I. M. Pei's John Hancock Tower, residents of Boston complained that it was too flamboyant, too abstract, and just too high-tech for Copley Square. They claimed that the Tower would overshadow nearby nineteenth-century masonry Trinity Church and Boston Public Library. These fears were unfounded, however, and John Hancock Tower stands today as one of the most beautiful parts of the Boston skyline.

John Hancock Tower - Reflections
Copyright © Mary Ann Sullivan
Digital Imaging Project

Famed as the tallest building in New England, the 62-story John Hancock Tower is perhaps even more famous for another reason. Because the technology for a building covered with this kind of all-glass façade had not yet been perfected, windows began falling by the dozens before construction was complete. Once this major design flaw was analyzed and fixed, each of the more than 10,000 panes of glass had to be replaced. Now the Tower's smooth curtain of glass reflects nearby buildings with little or no distortion. I. M. Pei later used the corrected technique when he built the Louvre Pyramid.

The observation deck on the 60th floor, originally opened to the public in response to community feedback, was permanently closed for security reasons after the destruction of the World Trade Center. 

I. M. Pei - Facts, Photos, and Resources