From the Golden Age of Skyscrapers, an Eyesore No More

Anthony Paletta takes a look at a new book by Elihu Rubin, chronicling the intriguing political history behind the construction of Boston's Prudential Center in the mid-1950s.

2 minute read

June 30, 2012, 7:00 AM PDT

By Ryan Lue


The course of urban development in America, Paletta argues, has long been shaped by an overbearing love affair between "the highway engineer and the forward-thinking corporation" – much to the peril of those who use and occupy the city. Elihu Rubin presents a rare case wherein that romance ultimately served to strengthen city spaces in his new book, Insuring the City: The Prudential Center and the Postwar Urban Landscape.

During a period drunk with the symbolic power of the skyscraper, just as the second half of the century was beginning to unfold, Prudential was on the hunt for a site for its New England Regional headquarters. But once Prudential set its sights on Boston's Back Bay rail yard, it fell into contention with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which envisioned an extension of the turnpike running "squarely through the rail yard site." City officials rushed to bring the two visions together, and after a rather painless compromise and a hard-won tax exemption for Prudential, its new signature tower was born.

"The Pru was not by anyone's lights an unqualified triumph," Rubin notes. "As time went on, they were eventually addressed by an extensive reexamination and refurbishment of the project; indeed, these revisions have continued into the 21st century. One indicator of the Pru's success over the long run, however, has been its demonstrated malleability. Designed as an enclave, with its ring road holding back the surrounding city and its podium resting on three layers of parking garages, recent alterations and additions have transformed the Prudential Center from an urban island into what is intended to be a piece of connective urban tissue."

Thursday, June 28, 2012 in Metropolis Magazine

Red on white 'Room for Rent, Inquire Inside' sign

In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living

Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.

May 24, 2023 - The Atlantic

Vancouver Chuck Wolfe

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

May 24, 2023 - GeekWire

New York MTA subway station

Off-Peak is the New On-Peak

Public transit systems in major U.S. cities are starting to focus on non-rush hour travelers as pre-pandemic commuting patterns shift and transportation needs change.

May 19, 2023 - Curbed

Nighttime view of Tacoma, Washington skyline

Tacoma Coalition Calls for ‘Tenants’ Bill of Rights’

The group wants to put more power in the hands of tenants, but the city has its own, competing proposal for addressing the housing crisis.

May 26 - The Urbanist

Wind turbines sillhouetted against a sunset sky along roadway in New Mexico

New Power Transmission Line Approved in the Southwest

The proposed transmission line will transfer wind-produced power from New Mexico to cities in Arizona and California.

May 26 - U.S. News And World Report

Aerial view of 238 freeway in Oakland, California cutting through neighborhood with small houses

The Limitations of ‘Reconnecting Communities’

The Biden administration has pledged to correct the damage imposed on communities by highways and infrastructure, but many projects are only committing to minor improvements, not transformative changes.

May 26 - The New York Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.