Berkeley Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Berkeley Building |
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| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 200 Berkeley Street Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 42°20′59.78″N 71°04′21.55″W / 42.3499389°N 71.0726528°W |
| Completed | 1947 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 495 ft (151 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 26 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Cram and Ferguson |
| Developer | Cram and Ferguson |
The Berkeley Building is a tall office building in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It's also known as the Old John Hancock Building. This building is 26 stories high and stands at about 495 feet (151 meters).
It was the second of three buildings built for the John Hancock company in Boston. The famous John Hancock Tower came after it. The Berkeley Building is special because it has a cool weather beacon at the very top. This beacon uses lights to tell people the weather forecast! It is currently the 20th-tallest building in Boston.
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History of the Berkeley Building
This building is located in Boston's Back Bay area. It was designed by a company called Cram and Ferguson. The building was finished in 1947.
From 1947 to 1964, it was the second-tallest building in Boston. It was just one foot shorter than the 496-foot (151-meter) Custom House Tower. But the Berkeley Building was much bigger overall and easy to spot. Then, the Prudential Tower was built in 1964, which was much taller than both.
Even though many buildings are taller now, the Berkeley Building is still a well-known landmark in Boston. People crossing the Charles River often recognize it. For many years, a drawing of this building was used as the logo for the John Hancock Insurance company.
In 2003, the John Hancock Insurance company sold the Berkeley Building. They also sold the Stephen L. Brown building and the John Hancock Tower. These buildings were bought by a company called Beacon Capital Partners. But in 2006, John Hancock bought the Berkeley and Brown buildings back. Today, the John Hancock company calls it "The Berkeley Building." However, many people still call it "the Old John Hancock Building."
Cool Features of the Building
Back Bay Events Center
The Berkeley Building is also home to the Back Bay Events Center. This center has two main parts. There's the John Hancock Hall and the Dorothy Quincy Suite. The Dorothy Quincy Suite is a large room that can hold about 900 people.
The John Hancock Hall also has a full box office and an auditorium with 1100 seats. This is where the State Finals for the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild One-Act Festival happen every year.
The Weather Beacon
One of the most famous parts of the Berkeley Building is its weather beacon. This beacon is at the very top of the building. It uses red and blue lights to show the local weather forecast. There's a fun rhyme that helps people remember the code:
- Steady blue, clear view.
- Flashing blue, clouds due.
- Steady red, rain ahead.
- Flashing red, snow instead.
There's also a special message during baseball season. If the beacon is flashing red, it means the Boston Red Sox game has been canceled because of bad weather.
The beacon was first turned on on March 15, 1950. It was controlled by weather experts on the 26th floor. It stayed lit until 1973. It was turned off then to save energy during an energy crisis. The famous Citgo sign in Kenmore Square was also turned off temporarily. The beacon was turned back on in 1983. It has been showing the weather forecast ever since.
In October 2004, something special happened. The beacon flashed red and blue! This was to celebrate the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series. It was the first time the colors changed like that since 1950. A new line was even added to the poem:
- Flashing Blue and Red, when The Curse of the Bambino is dead!
The beacon flashed red and blue again when the Red Sox won the 2007 World Series and the 2013 World Series. However, it did not flash red and blue when they won the 2018 World Series.
Images for kids
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Though dwarfed by other buildings, the "old John Hancock" remains a conspicuous and recognizable element of the Boston skyline
