Taming the Tower

The shards of glass that showered Boston from its spectacular John Hancock Tower have become collectors' items. The sheathing that temporarily replaced the 5,000 broken windows --the building became known as "the Plywood Palace"--is now being used at other construction sites. Finally, after a delay of five years, officials dedicated the trembling tower last week, and tenants began moving in.

Experts believe that they have broken the building's habit of twisting in high winds and popping out its windows. To tame the tower, they installed 300 L-shaped steel reinforcement beams and a giant shock absorber consisting of 600 tons of lead and steel attached by springs on the 58th floor. Stronger tempered glass was installed in all 10,344 windows. The renovations cost $15 million, which helped run the building's total tab to more than $150 million, twice what the company had expected to pay when ground was broken in 1968.

Nor are the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s problems with its new headquarters over. Lawsuits arising because of the window pains will take years to settle. Sighed Hancock Chairman Gerhard Bleicken at the dedication ceremonies: "We came to realize that people who build glass houses are bound to lead a fragile existence."

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