Construction crews work to install a sign for insurance company John Hancock on 200 Berkeley St. in Boston's Back Bay, also known as "the Old Hancock Building." Photo courtesy of John Hancock
Insurance company John Hancock’s offices at 200 Berkeley St. in Boston have long been known to locals as the “Old Hancock Building,” but for the first time the firm has literally put its name on the tower.
The Art Deco tower was built in 1947 to house the company post-World War II, and its spire houses an iconic lantern that displays a simple weather forecast with color-coded signals. The company later moved to the famous, 62-story 200 Clarendon St. next door, commonly called “The Hancock Tower,” before selling that to Beacon Capital Partners in 2003 and moving to the Seaport District for 10 years before abandoning 2015 plans for a third eponymous Back Bay tower and consolidating at 197 Clarendon St. and 200 Berkeley St. in 2018.
That latter staple of the Boston skyline is now be subtitled with another local icon 27 stories above street level: the multi-story-tall lighted John Hancock sign that graced Fenway Park’s center field wall for 20 years. The company installed the sign on the tower this month, and illuminated it for the first time in its new home over the weekend.
“We are thrilled to add John Hancock’s signature to the Boston skyline in the city we’ve called home for over 160 years,” company President and CEO Brooks Tingle said in a statement. “We are grateful to our neighbors in the Back Bay who offered their support of this project and who contribute to making this area a special place to work.”
The company sought to move its sign from its longtime home overlooking Boston Red Sox games reportedly after a review of its marketing strategy. It’s also part of a growing trend of tenant corporate logos being added to the tops of city office buildings.
The company also said that the sign’s addition to 200 Berkeley St. was a signal of the company’s commitment to its longtime home, despite having being part of Toronto-based Manulife Financial since 2005.
“This is more than a logo on our building. It reflects our longstanding commitment to Boston, and to our colleagues, customers, and community members as we work to help people live longer, healthier, better lives in our great city and beyond,” Tingle said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, in a statement released by the company along with its announcement that the sign had been lit for the first time, thanked the company for “doubling down on its commitment to Boston” by partnering with the city and local nonprofits on a multi-year initiative trying to shift racial disparities in life expectancy in the city.
