An appreciation of the Hancock tower

A Boston icon approaches its 30th anniversary and is the subject of a 3,000 word profile in the Globe. The online version includes a nice set of photo galleries with audio. The best is this one on the "Tuned mass dampener" the pair of "Three-hundred ton weights (that) keep tower tenants from feeling motion sickness in high winds." Well, most of the time. We like the idea that hanging above the head of every Hancock office worker are two 300-ton lead weights.

The article gives ample space to reflections by David D'Alessandro, the Hancock CEO at the time it was sold to the Candians. Included is this passage where he describes his 1st day of work at the Tower:

"When D'Alessandro moved in four years later, on June 25, 1984, the new Hancock vice president was accustomed to the bustle of New York, and he was more than a little taken aback by the tower's sedate corporate culture.

There was a cardiologist on staff and a 26-bed infirmary. Workers were paid in cash from a cart pushed by a payroll employee. The company had its own dental clinic, barbershop, and company store that sold clothes and cosmetics at a considerable loss.

D'Alessandro quickly went to work firing all of them, one by one."

Ok, so we made that last sentence up. But still, the implications of what happened are pretty clear –all these adorable little Bostonians soon disappeared from the tower, bc they aren't there today.