On the South side of Congress sits a large windowless AT&T building, a reader ponders:
I go by the AT&T building on Federal between Harrison and Congress almost daily. What is so secret that goes on there that the building doesn’t have a single window?
We don't think it's a big secret, but we do think the building doesn't require windows. We didn't find anything about this specific building, but a large, similar windowless building sits in downtown New York. Here is a blurb about it that we found on the interwebs:
The AT&T Long Lines Building (Church street in SoHo) is a truly unique building, not because it's the tallest, the largest, or the most technically advanced. In fact, it's not even habitable, as it doesn't house apartments or offices. The 167.5 meter tall skyscraper was built to house telephone switching equipment and was completed in 1974.
Thus we assume this houses switching information for their Chicago network. Are we sure, no...but that's our best guess. Anyone else have thoughts or know for sure?
(Hat Tip: JM!)
(Image from Google Maps)
9 comments:
My friends and I call that building the "Death Star".
Look at the AT&T skyscraper across from Ogilvie. There's probably no need for windows and there might be some security features associated with that.
The internet's in there
I know a lot of colleges and universities don't have windows in their libraries because they don't want students to know what time it is / what the weather is like so that students don't get distracted from their studies (Indiana University comes to mind). Maybe AT&T has the same philosophy for their employees?
It's where AT&T store your terrible iPhone reception.
Actually, I have great iPhone service in Printers Row...maybe that's why.
Not sure where the previous commenter lives in printers row that they get great reception, but I live in Burnham Pointe (clark & polk) and had to stand on my damn balcony to get ANY reception before I switched to T-mobile. Their signal magically permeates even the thickest windows. And works in the elevator!
Based on my experience with AT&T's cell phone service, and my girlfriend's experience with their Uverse Internet service, I'm thinking that must be where they store all of their customer complaints. I hear they need more space & are considering taking over the post office building.
The part that fronts on Congress was built in 1948 as Toll Building No. 2, and contained long-distance switching equipment for Illinois Bell and AT&T Long Lines. It also contained coaxial cable facilities for that newfangled television thing.
The building fronting on Harrison is much older, from 1910, with a five-story addition added in 1929. This building was (and is) an ordinary "central office" switching center for the WAbash and HArrison telephone exchanges.
The phone connections that terminate in this building made Printers Square attractive for 976- and other telecom businesses back in the 80s. Today it and other nearby buildings are Internet server hotels, attracted by the high-speed Internet access available in the telco buildings.
People don't realize but pretty much all the internet traffic in the midwest gets routed through servers in the south loop. There are a few other streets where ComEd ran super duper (technical term) high voltage lines from their substation on the river. One other building similar to this is a gorgeous old warehouse just north of mccormick place.
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