One Beacon Street (1 Beacon Street)

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One Beacon Street was designed by Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill's New York City office and built for the Employers-Commercial Union Companies in 1971-1972 by the Turner Construction Company. Developed as a mixed-use office and retail building, it was originally designed to house 3,000 office workers, several stores in the lobby, and a movie theater. This 37-story steel and precast concrete tower rises 475 feet from its concrete foundation and underground parking garage to a flat tar and gravel roof. The building's rectangular footprint is 219 feet wide and 149 feet deep. The construction cost was $39 million.

The 1938 Bromley Atlas shows several masonry buildings occupying the current building's site and surrounding plaza, including:

• Albion Building (1 Beacon Street), owned by Houghton & Dutton Building Incorporated
• 2 Beacon Street, owned by Houghton & Dutton Building Incorporated
• 3-5 Beacon Street, owned by Houghton & Dutton Building Incorporated
• Dutton Building (7-7 1/2 Beacon Street), owned by Houghton & Dutton Building Incorporated
• 3 Somerset Street, owned by T.S. Sampson
• 5 Somerset Street, owned by Waldorf System Incorporated
• Carney Building (39-43 Tremont Street), owned by Winslow Warren, et al, trustees, and the Carney Estate
• Beacon Theatre (47-53 Tremont Street), owned by Shawmut Investment Company
• Pavilion Building (55 Tremont Street), owned by Pavilion Incorporated

In 1975, the building's mail slot system was replaced with standard mail boxes.

In 1976 a stairway pressurization system (for use during a fire) was installed by the Turner Construction Company at a cost of $500,000.

In 1978, virtually all of the building's windows were replaced by Turner Construction at a cost of $431,000.

In 1980 the movie theater was divided into three smaller theaters at a cost of $70,000 by the Loran Construction Company.

In 1984, the theaters' lobby area was replaced with a copy shop.

The Prudential Insurance Company purchased the building in 1986.

In 1990, a health club was constructed on the 1st floor by the Payton Construction Company.

From 1991 through 1993, Prudential undertook a major renovation of every floor in the building.

In 1992 a television broadcast antenna was installed on the roof and a transmitter room was constructed on the 35th floor by the Payton Construction Company. The antenna was installed with a Sikorsky SkyCrane helicopter. A satellite antenna was installed on the roof for AT&T later in the year.

In 1993, the theater was converted into garage space by the Payton Construction Company at a cost of $1.5 million.