33 Thomas Street, also known as the ‘Long Lines Building’, is a heavily-fortified Brutalist skyscraper located in Lower Manhattan, New York. It was constructed between 1969 and 1974 to serve as a major telecommunications hub for the New York Telephone Company, a subsidiary of AT&T.
It has been a site of mystery to New Yorkers for many years because of the scant information available about its purpose or operations. All that was really known was that it was one of the most secure buildings in America, designed to be self-sufficient and protected from nuclear fallout for up to a fortnight following an attack.
In November 2016, The Intercept published an exclusive report, based on documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, which provided compelling evidence that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been using the skyscraper as a covert surveillance and electronic spying centre.
FYI - many central telecommunications hubs built back in the day don't have windows just like this building. This is because the inside of the building is usually lined with EMF shielding, meaning there is no point for windows as they would need to be covered with EMF shielding as well.
These buildings aren't just protected from nuclear explosions, they are also designed to protect against solar flares that hit the earth, like the one in 1989 that hit Canada.
You used to see tall buildings with a floor or two that had windows blacked out due to EMF shielding, that was usually where the data centre (i.e. server rooms) were located. Now it's common for those data centre's to be installed in basements with EMF shielding.
I've heard stories of all sorts of stuff going on in those buildings, but nothing confirmed. It could be because the buildings look shady, or the stories could be true... I don't know.
Source... I have worked in telecommunications for over 25 years and I have worked in old telco exchange buildings without windows similar to this here in Australia.
33 Thomas Street, also known as the ‘Long Lines Building’, is a heavily-fortified Brutalist skyscraper located in Lower Manhattan, New York. It was constructed between 1969 and 1974 to serve as a major telecommunications hub for the New York Telephone Company, a subsidiary of AT&T.
It has been a site of mystery to New Yorkers for many years because of the scant information available about its purpose or operations. All that was really known was that it was one of the most secure buildings in America, designed to be self-sufficient and protected from nuclear fallout for up to a fortnight following an attack.
In November 2016, The Intercept published an exclusive report, based on documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, which provided compelling evidence that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been using the skyscraper as a covert surveillance and electronic spying centre.
Lots more here:
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/33_Thomas_Street,_New_York
FYI - many central telecommunications hubs built back in the day don't have windows just like this building. This is because the inside of the building is usually lined with EMF shielding, meaning there is no point for windows as they would need to be covered with EMF shielding as well.
These buildings aren't just protected from nuclear explosions, they are also designed to protect against solar flares that hit the earth, like the one in 1989 that hit Canada.
You used to see tall buildings with a floor or two that had windows blacked out due to EMF shielding, that was usually where the data centre (i.e. server rooms) were located. Now it's common for those data centre's to be installed in basements with EMF shielding.
I've heard stories of all sorts of stuff going on in those buildings, but nothing confirmed. It could be because the buildings look shady, or the stories could be true... I don't know.
Source... I have worked in telecommunications for over 25 years and I have worked in old telco exchange buildings without windows similar to this here in Australia.
Good info. Thanks.
The full role of AT&T has yet to be revealed.
They are near the top of the global surveillance apparatus.
This is true. The US Government has been paying telcos for back door access since the early 1900s.
At&t building blew up Christmas day
How is AT&T still in business?
Federal "contracts"