Prudential Center

Prudential Center, commonly called “the Pru,” is a mixed-use complex in Boston’s Back Bay centered on the Prudential Tower and the enclosed Shops at Prudential Center. Although the site’s principal tower dates to 1964, the retail center in its modern connected form opened in 1993. The complex occupies a prominent area bounded generally by Boylston Street, Huntington Avenue, and Dalton Street, and forms part of a larger cluster of commercial, hospitality, cultural, and transportation destinations near Copley Square. The development replaced a former rail-yard area created on land that had originally been marshes beside the Charles River. During the early 1960s, the rail infrastructure was redeveloped with the Prudential Tower and related buildings. The first retail activity around the tower consisted of a small arcade anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and a limited number of other shops. Office buildings, a hotel, the convention center, and surrounding retail uses were initially separated by open plazas and disconnected pedestrian routes. A major redevelopment plan announced in 1991 sought to connect these buildings with an enclosed shopping and pedestrian concourse. The Hahn Company worked with Prudential Insurance Company of America, then associated with the property, on a project reported at approximately $100 million. Completed in 1993, the Shops at Prudential Center created a weather-protected route through the complex and helped integrate office workers, convention visitors, hotel guests, residents, shoppers, and tourists into one urban destination. The complex expanded over time. 101 Huntington Avenue was completed in 1973, while 111 Huntington Avenue was connected to the retail concourse when it opened in 2001. The 888 Boylston Street building joined the connected complex after opening in 2016. The broader development also includes the Mandarin Oriental hotel and residential properties known as the Avalon and Belvidere Residences. The retail component is anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and has included more than 75 specialty stores, restaurants, and food businesses. Eataly opened a roughly 45,000-square-foot location in November 2016, replacing an earlier food-court format and reinforcing the center’s emphasis on destination dining and food retail. Prudential Center is closely linked to Boston’s public transportation and convention infrastructure. Prudential station on the MBTA Green Line serves the complex, and Hynes Convention Center station is nearby. A climate-controlled connection through adjacent Copley Place provides access toward Back Bay station, which serves the MBTA Orange Line, commuter rail, and Amtrak. Bus routes and underground parking further support the center’s role as a regional commercial destination. The site also contains St. Francis Chapel, a Roman Catholic chapel that has operated within the complex since 1969. The original chapel was later replaced during construction, with a new chapel dedicated in 1993. It remains staffed by the Oblates of the Virgin Mary and provides Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, and a religious gift shop. In 2025, the chapel was reported to serve approximately 1,500 to 2,000 visitors in a typical week and underwent renovations funded in part by an anonymous donation. Prudential Center continues to function as a mixed-use urban destination rather than solely as a shopping mall. Its identity is based on the combination of retail, offices, hospitality, housing, restaurants, public art, religious services, and transit connections. The complex has also experienced tenant turnover, including the announced closure of Lord & Taylor in 2020 and reported negotiations for a Dick’s Sporting Goods House of Sport store in the former department-store space in 2022.

The Prudential Center stands on land whose urban history reflects Boston’s expansion into the Back Bay. The area was originally marshland beside the Charles River. It was gradually filled, and a substantial rail yard later occupied the site. In the early 1960s, the rail facilities were removed as part of a large redevelopment centered on the Prudential Tower, which opened in 1964. A second major office building, 101 Huntington Avenue, followed in 1973. The first retail arrangement at the base of the tower was relatively modest. Saks Fifth Avenue served as the principal department-store tenant, accompanied by a small number of shops in an arcade. Nearby buildings, including offices, a hotel, the convention center, and other commercial uses, were separated by plazas and lacked a continuous indoor pedestrian route. The result was a collection of related but physically disconnected destinations. In 1991, a plan was advanced to transform the area into a connected, enclosed shopping center extending through the blocks bounded by Boylston Street, Huntington Avenue, and Dalton Street. The Hahn Company and Prudential Insurance Company of America spent more than two years developing the project, which was reported to cost about $100 million. The resulting Shops at Prudential Center opened in 1993. Its concourse linked the surrounding buildings and provided a climate-protected route for shoppers, office employees, convention visitors, and hotel guests. The complex subsequently developed as a larger mixed-use district. 111 Huntington Avenue was connected to the concourse after its 2001 opening. 888 Boylston Street was added to the connected network following its 2016 opening. The broader complex includes office buildings, the Mandarin Oriental hotel, the Avalon and Belvidere Residences, restaurants, specialty shops, and public-facing services. Eataly opened in November 2016 in a space previously used as a food court, adding a large open-market food and dining format. Public space and art have also formed part of the center’s history. The open plaza near Boylston Street once displayed Donald Harcourt De Lu’s large bronze sculpture Quest Eternal, popularly known as “The Naked Guy.” The work had been installed in 1967. Construction of a new entrance in 2014 required its removal. In 2019, Boston City Council announced that it had accepted the sculpture from Boston Properties for eventual installation at Smith Playground in Allston. Other, including temporary, public-art installations have appeared in the complex. The site has retained a religious and community function through St. Francis Chapel. The original chapel was dedicated on November 11, 1969, by Cardinal Richard Cushing. It was initially staffed by Franciscans and was intended to welcome people of different faiths. The Franciscans transferred responsibility to the Oblates of the Virgin Mary in 1983. Construction led to the closure of the first chapel, and a replacement near the Hynes Convention Center entrance was dedicated on April 28, 1993, by Cardinal Bernard Law. The chapel continues to offer Catholic worship and pastoral services. In early 2025 it underwent renovation, reportedly prompted in part by a $25,000 anonymous gift; reported work cost $40,000. Transportation has been central to the complex’s commercial role. Prudential station serves the MBTA Green Line E branch, while Hynes Convention Center station is nearby. The center is also connected through adjacent Copley Place toward Back Bay station, offering access to subway, commuter rail, and Amtrak services. Bus stops and underground parking add further regional access. Tenant composition has changed with broader retail conditions. Lord & Taylor’s closure was announced in 2020, and Dick’s Sporting Goods was reported in 2022 to be negotiating for the vacated space for a House of Sport store. In November 2019, MassLive ranked the Shops at Prudential Center fifth among Massachusetts malls and shopping centers in a survey of 40 properties, placing adjacent Copley Place fourth. The center remains an active Back Bay mixed-use destination whose significance comes from the integration of retail, offices, hospitality, housing, dining, transit, and community services.

1. 2019Boston accepts Quest Eternal for relocation

   Boston City Council announced acceptance of the removed sculpture for installation at Smith Playground in Allston.

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2. 2016888 Boylston Street opens and Eataly arrives

   888 Boylston Street became part of the connected complex, and Eataly opened a large marketplace in November.

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3. 2014New Boylston Street entrance replaces open plaza

   A new entrance was constructed, requiring removal of the Quest Eternal sculpture from its longtime location.

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4. 2001111 Huntington Avenue joins the connected complex

   111 Huntington Avenue opened and was connected to the Prudential Center concourse.

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5. 1993The Shops at Prudential Center opens

   The completed retail concourse connected the surrounding buildings and established the center's modern shopping and pedestrian format.

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6. 1991Enclosed shopping-center redevelopment is proposed

   A plan was put forward to connect the surrounding buildings with an enclosed and expanded shopping center.

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7. 1973101 Huntington Avenue opens

   The 101 Huntington Avenue office tower was completed as part of the expanding Prudential complex.

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8. 1969St. Francis Chapel is dedicated

   The original St. Francis Chapel was dedicated on November 11 by Cardinal Richard Cushing.

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9. 1967Quest Eternal installed

   Donald Harcourt De Lu's large bronze sculpture Quest Eternal was installed on the plaza near Boylston Street.

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10. 1964Prudential Tower opens

    The Prudential Tower opened as the principal structure of the redevelopment replacing the former rail yard in Boston's Back Bay.

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A centrally located, weather-protected mixed-use destination serving shoppers, office workers, convention attendees, tourists, hotel guests, residents, and transit users in Boston's Back Bay.

• The Shops at Prudential CenterShopping center1993

  The enclosed retail concourse is the principal consumer-facing component of the complex. It links several office and mixed-use buildings and provides specialty retail, department-store shopping, dining, food businesses, and pedestrian access protected from Boston weather. Saks Fifth Avenue serves as the principal anchor, while the tenant mix has included apparel, accessories, lifestyle, and restaurant concepts.

• Saks Fifth AvenueDepartment store

  Saks Fifth Avenue is the principal department-store anchor identified with the Prudential Center retail complex. Its presence dates to the early retail development around the base of Prudential Tower and gives the center an upscale department-store component alongside specialty boutiques and restaurants.

• Eataly BostonFood marketplace2016

  Eataly Boston occupies an approximately 45,000-square-foot space in the center and combines open-market food retail with restaurants and prepared-food counters. It opened in November 2016, replacing a former food-court format and broadening the complex's role as a dining and destination-food venue.

• St. Francis ChapelReligious and community facility1969

  St. Francis Chapel is a functioning Roman Catholic chapel located within the shopping center. It offers daily Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, and a religious gift shop. The current chapel was dedicated in 1993 after construction displaced the original chapel established at the complex in 1969.

• 2022Pursue a House of Sport replacement for the Lord & Taylor spaceOther

  Lord & Taylor's closure left a large department-store space available at the center.

  What changed. Dick's Sporting Goods was reported to be in final negotiations to take over the building for its House of Sport concept.

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• 2016Add Eataly to the retail and dining mixProduct launch

  The center had a former food-court space and was expanding its food and destination-retail offering.

  What changed. Eataly opened an approximately 45,000-square-foot open-market location in November 2016.

  Aftermath. The food marketplace strengthened the complex's dining, specialty-food, and experiential-retail positioning.

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• 2014Construct a new Boylston Street entranceStrategy

  The complex retained an open plaza along Boylston Street, including the location of the Quest Eternal sculpture.

  What changed. A new entrance was built to replace the remaining open plaza frontage, requiring removal of the sculpture.

  Aftermath. Quest Eternal was removed from public view at the center and was later accepted by Boston for relocation to Smith Playground.

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• 1991Develop an enclosed, connected shopping centerStrategy

  The original Prudential development consisted of nearby but disconnected offices, retail, hotel, convention, and public-plaza spaces. The owners and developers sought to improve circulation and create a stronger commercial destination.

  What changed. The Hahn Company and Prudential Insurance Company of America pursued a reported approximately $100 million project to connect the buildings through an enclosed retail concourse.

  Aftermath. The Shops at Prudential Center opened in 1993 and established the center's integrated, weather-protected pedestrian and retail format.

  Reported project cost. $100 million (1991-1993)

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• 2025St. Francis Chapel undergoes renovation

  The chapel inside Prudential Center received renovation work, including repainting and cleaning around its votive-candle area, supported by an anonymous donation and additional funds.

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• 2022Dick's Sporting Goods reportedly negotiates for former Lord & Taylor space

  Dick's Sporting Goods was reported to be in final negotiations to occupy the former Lord & Taylor building with a House of Sport concept store.

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• 2020Lord & Taylor to close its Prudential Center location

  The high-end regional department-store division Lord & Taylor was reported to be closing its location at Prudential Center.

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• 2019Quest Eternal statue accepted for relocation to Boston public playground

  Boston City Council announced acceptance of the Quest Eternal sculpture, formerly displayed at the complex, for installation at Smith Playground in Allston.

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1. Prudential Center (Boston)