By Meera Raman
The iconic John Hancock sign is heading for a new home.
According to documents obtained by the Business Journal through a public records request, John Hancock has gotten approval to move the sign — which lived in Fenway Park for 20 years — to the company’s U.S. headquarters building in Back Bay on 200 Berkeley St.
John Hancock got design approval from the Boston Planning and Development Agency on Aug. 9, according to the documents, which show renderings of the sign atop the building, under the weather beacon on the building and facing the Charles River.
A BPDA spokesperson confirmed that the design approval meant that the agency has signed off on the relocation. It’s still unclear when the sign will go up on the building.
In December 2022, Boston-based insurance company John Hancock and the Boston Planning & Development Agency had a preliminary meeting to discuss the John Hancock sign relocation, according to the documents.
In 2022, John Hancock ended its longtime partnership with the Boston Red Sox, which resulted in the massive John Hancock sign that shined over Fenway Park for two decades to be taken down.
“We now have an opportunity to place it on our nearly 100-year-old headquarters building in Back Bay — maintaining our traditional presence in Boston’s skyline,” John Hancock said in the presentation.
CEO Brooks Tingle told the Business Journal two weeks ago that the sign was going to “make a reappearance,” but did not disclose any more information.
The sign’s move coincides with John Hancock dropping major local partnerships with the Red Sox and with the Boston Marathon. The company is now focusing on different local partnerships that the company says are more aligned with its services, like health and longevity.
The sign is 60 feet long and 20 feet high, according to the presentation.
In the approval notice from the BPDA to John Hancock, the BPDA said that the approval is contingent on John Hancock maintaining its U.S. headquarters in the buildings located at 197 Clarendon St and 200 Berkeley St.
John Hancock is the 42nd-largest employer in the state with 3,072 Mass. employees, according to the most recent Business Journal research.