![]() ![]() The building contains 29 stories in total, with three basement levels. Although it stands at 550-feet-tall, each floor is 18 feet tall, almost double the standard floor height of 10 feet for commercial buildings. The layout inside the building is different than some might imagine. There is enough gas, water, and generator energy to last up to two weeks after any type of external emergency. Aiming to create a “20th-century fortress, with spears and arrows replaced by protons and neutrons laying quiet siege to an army of machines within,” the building is designed to withstand major threats and natural disasters, including nuclear blast or fallout.Ĭonstructed during the tense times of the Cold War, the building has the capacity to support 1,500 people off-grid for up to a fortnight. 33 Thomas is designed in the brutalist architectural style that focuses on materials and construction and is both windowless and fortified. Rare Design Elements of the “Windowless Building” in NYCĪ number of distinct features helped segue this skyscraper into a top-secret security hub. Eventually, these assets would prove attractive to government intelligence services. Because of this, many aspects of the design and layout of this building are unique and rare. ![]() ![]() Drafted by architecture firm John Carl Warnecke & Associates, one of the largest architecture firms at the time, the tower was constructed in 1974 on Thomas and Church Street in Tribeca.īell needed ample space and high levels of security to support a bevy of long-distance and solid-state switching equipment. Originally constructed for Bell System, the massive skyscraper was home to the Long Lines Department, used for telephone switching equipment. The Long Lines Buildingĭescribed as one of the most secure buildings in America, 33 Thomas was built to house and protect American communications. While rumors have come and gone over the years, researchers and journalists have put together a number of clues as to what this building is really used for, and it’s darker than you might think. With no windows, few doors, and a plethora of CCTV cameras- the structure has a mysterious aura, reaching up into the sky like a brutalistic sci-fi watchtower. Residents of the Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan have long wondered at the building standing at 33 Thomas. ![]()
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