The John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center is a convention center located in Boston , Massachusetts . It was built in 1988 from a design by architects Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood. It replaced the John B. Hynes Memorial Auditorium, also a convention center, built in 1963 during the Massachusetts Turnpike expansion from Route 128 to the Central Artery , which was regarded as "ungainly". The 1988 design "attempted to relate in scale and materials to its Back Bay setting, adopting granite and setbacks. The severe gray interior is reminiscent of an early 20th-century German railroad station". The Center is named after former Boston mayor John Hynes .
25-406: The building has 176,480 square feet (16,400 m) of exhibit space and can accommodate up to four concurrent events. It features 91,000 square feet (8,450 m) of meeting space with 38 permanent rooms and a 24,544-square-foot (2,280 m) grand ballroom. The convention center is connected to the nearby Prudential Center complex. The convention center is connected by aerial passageways to
50-637: A nearby hotel complex and can be reached by public transportation via the Hynes Convention Center station on the MBTA Green Line and, using the passageways, via the Back Bay station on the Orange Line , Commuter Rail , and Amtrak . Logan Express shuttles run directly to and from Logan International Airport . On September 16, 2019, Governor Charlie Baker announced his plans to close and sell
75-460: A new chapel to be reopened near the entrance of the Hynes Convention Center . This chapel, which is still in operation, was dedicated on April 28, 1993, by Cardinal Bernard Law . The location originally consisted of marshlands next to the Charles River in the Back Bay district of Boston. These wetlands were gradually filled in, and a large railyard was built. In the early 1960s, the railyard
100-461: A new friary for them. The work was continuous. By the end of the first year of operation, it was estimated that approximately 300,000 confessions had been heard. Some 6,000 were heard by just 25 priests on Christmas Eve 1947 alone. The final stage of construction of the permanent chapel was begun with a groundbreaking ceremony in October 1952 which was presided over by Cushing and the civil officials of
125-563: A religious giftshop. It was originally staffed by the Franciscans who had come to Boston to establish the Shrine of St. Anthony in 1947. It was designed by Brother Cajetan Baumann , OFM , the head of Franciscan Art and Architecture Office and built by Cambridge's Thomas O'Connor Company. The original chapel was first dedicated on November 11, 1969, by Cardinal Richard Cushing . A crowd of 400, almost double its official capacity, crowded into
150-511: Is part of the complex, as well as the Avalon and the Belvidere Residences apartments. The shopping complex is anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue . The mall is home to over 75 specialty retailers, including upscale stores such as Earl's , Lacoste , Club Monaco , Ralph Lauren , Vineyard Vines , and more. Around 20 food-related businesses ranging from quick snacks to fine dining are located at
175-563: The Hynes Convention Center , the office towers at 101 and 111 Huntington Avenue , and the Sheraton Boston hotel. The mall is connected to the Copley Place shopping mall via a skybridge over Huntington Avenue . As of 2022, the complex features notable brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue , Earl's , Lacoste , Club Monaco , Ralph Lauren , and Vineyard Vines . A Mandarin Oriental hotel
200-616: The MBTA Orange Line , MBTA Commuter Rail , and Amtrak inter-city rail, is a short climate-controlled walk away via the adjacent Copley Place shopping mall. MBTA bus routes 39, 54, and 507 stop at the center, and there is underground parking available on-site. The St. Francis Chapel, a functioning Roman Catholic chapel staffed by the Oblates of the Virgin Mary and located inside the shopping center since 1969, offers daily services and
225-591: The Quest Eternal statue be removed, and its whereabouts and future were unknown to the general public. In 2019, the Boston City Council announced that it had accepted the donation of the statue from Boston Properties , and would install it in the public Smith Playground, near the intersection of Western Avenue and North Harvard Street in the Allston district. There remain several smaller works of public art at
250-662: The Hynes to finance an expansion at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center . The Shops at Prudential Center The Prudential Center (colloquially the Pru ) is an enclosed shopping mall within the mixed-use Prudential Center complex in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston , Massachusetts . It is located at the base of the Prudential Tower , and provides direct indoor connections to several nearby destinations, including
275-538: The Prudential Center complex, including temporary art installations. On August 24, 2020, it was announced that high end regional division Lord & Taylor would close. On June 30, 2022, it was announced that Dick's Sporting Goods was in final negotiations to take over the Lord & Taylor building at the center for its House of Sports concept store. In November 2019, the online business news website MassLive rated
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#1732855730088300-575: The Rev. Harold R. Blake, O.F.M., who supervised a group of eight friars who commuted daily from the friary in Brookline for the first few months of operation. The decision was made to name the new chapel for St. Anthony, who had been declared a Doctor of the Church earlier that year by Pope Pius XII . The friars moved into the basement of the first lot they had bought, living in the basement while work began preparing
325-668: The Shops at Prudential Center as fifth, and the immediately adjacent Copley Place as fourth-best, among 40 malls and shopping centers in Massachusetts. Shrine of St. Anthony (Boston) St. Anthony's Shrine , the "Church on Arch Street," is a center for Roman Catholic ministry in Boston, Massachusetts directed by the Franciscan friars of Holy Name Province. The Shrine has served the residents and workers of Boston since its completion in 1955,
350-570: The chapel for the dedication. Cushing said at the time he wanted it to be an "ecumenical chapel. We want people of all faiths to come here and speak to God through their own prayers." Present at the dedication was Fr. Robert Lynch, OFM, the chapel's first director. On June 1, 1983, the Franciscans turned over the Chapel to the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. In 1986, construction forced that chapel to close and
375-599: The city. The architect was a friar of the Province, Brother Cajetan Baumann , O.F.M., known for the many churches and friaries he designed throughout the country. The cornerstone of the chapel was laid a year later, and was completed in time for its opening on December 31, 1954, at a final cost of $ 4.5 million. The mosaic behind the altar was conceived and executed by American Modernist painter Peppino Mangravite . The chapel and friary were dedicated on November 23, 1955, by Cushing, who by then had been made an official affiliate of
400-508: The community is driven by its dedication to the mission of "welcoming all people through prayer and outreach." The friars had been serving in the Boston area since 1860. The Archbishop of Boston donated his former mansion in Brookline to them in 1927, which they then converted into St. Francis Friary, a retreat house for laymen which opened the following year. In 1944, shortly after being appointed archbishop, Richard Cushing suggested that
425-532: The friars open a chapel of ease in the downtown area of the city. The friars agreed and in 1945 began to hear confessions in the Oratory of St. Thomas More , which was served by the secular clergy of the Archdiocese of Boston . Plans proceeded with establishing their own chapel, for which a small, four-story building was acquired on 103 Arch Street to serve as a temporary chapel. A number of connecting lots across
450-456: The friars, granted to individuals of particular help to the Order. In 1981 the friars opened a breadline, providing a free lunch to those in need; two years later they were serving some 200 people daily. Louis Canino, OFM the rector at the time, decided on a more comprehensive approach. He arranged the purchase of an eleven-story building several blocks away, on Boylston Street. St. Francis House , as
475-597: The mall, with many other independent restaurants located nearby outside. A 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m ) open-market format Eataly location was opened in November 2016, replacing a former food court within the mall. Transportation connections include the Prudential subway station and the nearby Hynes Convention Center station , both on branches of the MBTA Green Line . The Back Bay multimodal station , with access to
500-450: The new facility was called, allowed friars and lay volunteers to offer sit-down meals. St. Francis House was dedicated in 1984. The center began hiring a professional staff providing clothing, psychological services, and nursing care as well. St. Francis House has since created its own board of directors and is a separate non-profit, but the friars and the Shrine have still remained connected with
525-398: The street were soon also purchased by Holy Name Province of the friars. Construction of the first spaces for a new chapel begin during the summer of 1946 and the temporary shrine was opened on February 19, 1947, Ash Wednesday of that year, and thus could accommodate the large numbers of faithful who sought the imposition of blessed ashes as per custom on that day. The first rector was
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#1732855730088550-465: Was completed, and largely successful in filling its new spaces. Multiple buildings surrounding the Prudential Center were now connected through the shopping arcade, with pedestrian traffic ranging from office workers to convention attendees, able to travel conveniently to various destinations regardless of the weather. In 2014, a new entrance to the Prudential Center was built to replace the remaining open plaza bordering Boylston Street. This required that
575-448: Was dominated by a 27-foot (8.2 m) sculptural bronze male nude by Boston-educated artist Donald Harcourt De Lue , titled Quest Eternal , and installed in 1967. Popularly known as "The Naked Guy", the 5-ton sculpture, cast in one piece, depicted a Mannerist heroic figure stretched diagonally upwards towards the sky. The Boston Christmas Tree , annually donated by Nova Scotia , was placed on this plaza from 1971 until 2002, when it
600-483: Was moved to the Boston Common. In 1991, a plan was put forth to connect all of the buildings together with an enclosed and expanded shopping center, in the area bordered by Boylston Street, Huntington Avenue , and Dalton Street. The Hahn Company , together with then-owner Prudential Insurance Company of America , spent over two years developing the $ 100 million project. In 1993, the new Shops at Prudential Center
625-548: Was replaced by the Prudential Tower and several smaller buildings. Originally, only one department store (Saks), along with a handful of shops, existed around the base of the Prudential Tower in a small shopping arcade. Nearby structures including the Hynes Convention Center , 101 Huntington Avenue office tower, a Sheraton Hotel , and other various shops were separated by open plazas in a patchwork of disjointed buildings. A large, windswept paved plaza off Boylston Street
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