Things to do nearOld John Hancock Building

Completed in 1947 and designed by Cram and Ferguson, the Old John Hancock Building served as the headquarters of the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company for decades. Its limestone and granite exterior rises 26 stories in a series of setbacks that reflect the restrained elegance of late Art Deco design, a style that was already giving way to modernism when the tower was finished.

The building sits in the heart of Boston's Back Bay, steps from Copley Square and Trinity Church. Visitors drawn to the area find themselves at the center of one of the city's richest architectural corridors. The nearby Public Garden offers a green counterpoint to the stone and steel of the surrounding blocks.

The rooftop weather beacon remains the building's most enduring feature. Installed in the mid-twentieth century, it cycles through colored lights that locals still recite by rhyme. Though the tower is now used as office space, its exterior presence and cultural footprint make it a genuine piece of living Boston history worth seeking out on any visit to the Back Bay.