Prudential Center is dedicated.

Architect: Charles Luckman & Associates. Designed in the Modernist style, it is located at 800 Boylston Street. Some 35,000 people attend the event, including former Mayor John Hynes, who persuaded the company to build in Boston, but was not initially invited, but added as a guest at the insistence of Prudential president Carroll Shanks. The tallest building in the world outside of Manhattan at this time, its construction began on April 3, 1959, but was halted for a time due to concerns over property tax agreements. Although criticized for its bland design, subsequent BRA director Stephen Coyle later declares, “Boston was suffering from a major league inferiority complex, and the Pru began the turnaround,” spurring construction of some 30 more new office buildings by 1978. The center’s shopping arcade is expanded and a pedestrian mall added in 1993.