The John Hancock Tower Glass Failure: Debunking the Myths

Abstract

On a cold and windy night in Boston almost 27 years ago, the curtain rose on one of the most extraordinary glass facade failures the building industry has known. The investigations that ensued followed varied and diverse paths but ultimately led to verifiable and well-founded conclusions. Unfortunately, that truth was lost in legal protectionism. But even such impediments run their course, and the time has come to lay the facts on the table. From the beginning, the John Hancock Tower was controversial. The very concept of placing a 790 foot tall tower next to one of the most precious architectural works in Boston, the Trinity Church designed by H.H. Richardson, constituted, to some, a monumental failure in city planning. But the chief designer, Henry Cobb of I.M.Pei, defended the appropriateness of this project, engaged the Boston architectural community in the debate, endured his critics and brought his vision for the architecture of Boston's Back Bay to fruition. The tower survives as a beautiful modern spire, still deferring to its stately neighbors by reflecting their grand images.