Officially named 200 Clarendon Street but still widely known as the John Hancock Tower, this sleek glass skyscraper is the tallest building in Boston and New England. Designed by Henry N. Cobb of I. M. Pei & Partners and completed in 1976, its minimalist mirror-glass facade reflects the sky and the surrounding Back Bay, creating a striking contrast with the neighboring Romanesque Trinity Church across Copley Square.
The 60-story tower is a defining feature of Boston’s skyline and an architectural landmark, noted both for its elegant rhomboid form and for the engineering challenges of its early years, when original glass panels had to be replaced. It is a privately owned office building, so there is no public observation deck today. Visitors typically admire it from Copley Square and the Back Bay streets rather than from inside.
Good to know
- The tallest building in Boston and New England
- Designed by Henry N. Cobb of I. M. Pei & Partners, completed in 1976
- A private office building with no public observation deck
- Best viewed from Copley Square, beside historic Trinity Church
Getting there
- Address: 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116
- Neighborhood: Back Bay
- Nearest T: Copley (MBTA Green Line); Back Bay (Orange Line) is also a short walk