<P> The Prudential Tower, also known as the Prudential Building or, colloquially, The Pru, is an International Style skyscraper in Boston, Massachusetts . The building, a part of the Prudential Center complex, currently stands as the 2nd - tallest building in Boston, behind 200 Clarendon Street, formerly the John Hancock Tower . The Prudential Tower was designed by Charles Luckman and Associates for Prudential Insurance . Completed in 1964, the building is 749 feet (228 m) tall, with 52 floors . It contains 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m) of commercial and retail space . Including its radio mast, the tower stands as the second tallest building in Boston and is tied with others as the 77th - tallest in the United States, rising to 907 feet (276 m) in height . </P> <P> A restaurant, the Top of the Hub, occupies the 52nd floor . A 50th - floor observation deck, called the Skywalk Observatory, is currently the highest observation deck in New England open to the public, as the higher observation deck of the John Hancock Tower has been closed since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 . </P> <P> The Prudential Tower began construction in 1960 with steel erection work by Donovan Steel . Upon its completion in 1964, the Prudential was the tallest building in the world outside of New York City, surpassing the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, Ohio . It dwarfed the 1947 - John Hancock building . This spurred the insurance rival to build the 1975 John Hancock Tower, which is slightly taller at 790 feet (240 m). </P> <P> Today, the Prudential is no longer among the fifty tallest buildings in the USA in architectural height . Within Boston, in addition to the nearby John Hancock tower, many other tall buildings have since been built in the financial district, including the 614 - foot (187 m) Federal Reserve Bank . The Prudential and John Hancock towers dominate the Back Bay skyline . </P>

Does the top of the prudential center spin