This image, from the Boston City Archives, is used on the back of my book jacket. It nicely mirrors the perspective of the image that spills across the title page that shows the Mechanics Hall and the Back Bay rail yard that would be replaced with this landscape. In the foreground is the northern “Ring Road,” the Prudential Center’s internal circulatory system for cars. Also showcased is the War Memorial Coliseum that was built by the city (though Prudential made a substantial financial gift toward the project) and designed by Hoyle, Doran, & Berry, the associate architects for the overall project. The building at the left is the first of three apartment towers, designed by Charles Luckman Associates. The presence of the tower dates the photograph to the late 1960s.
Insuring the City 