AT&T Huron Road Building facts for kids

AT&T Huron Road Building
View from the Terminal Tower observation deck
Former names	SBC Center, Ohio Bell Building
General information
Type	Office
Location	750 Huron Road Cleveland, Ohio 44113 United States
Construction started	1925
Completed	1927
Height
Roof	111.25 m (365 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	22
Design and construction
Architect	Hubbell & Benes

The AT&T Huron Road Building (also called the Ohio Bell Building) is a tall building in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was built in the Art Deco style, which was very popular in the 1920s. This building is the main office for Ohio Bell, a phone company owned by AT&T.

The building has 24 floors and stands 365 feet (111 meters) tall. It was designed by the company Hubbell and Benes. They called their style "Modern American Perpendicular Gothic." This design was inspired by Eliel Saarinen's ideas for the Tribune Tower in Chicago.

Work on the building started in 1925 and finished in 1927. It cost about $5 million to build. For a short time, it was the tallest building in Cleveland. But then, the Terminal Tower was built in 1928 and became even taller.

Why the Building Was Needed

The Huron Road Building was built because it was really needed. Ohio Bell, the phone company, used to have its main phone switching center on Michigan Avenue. This was from 1890 to 1927.

However, that old building had to be emptied. This was because the Terminal Tower complex was being built. During the construction, about 10,000 miles of phone lines and switches were moved. They were moved from Michigan Avenue to the new Huron Road Building.

In 1938, Ohio Bell put in a new phone switching board. By 1944, this board was handling a lot of calls. It received about 25,300 long-distance calls every day.

Later Years and Modern Use

In 1964, Ohio Bell moved its main offices to the new Erieview Tower. But the Huron Road Building was still very important. It continued to be a huge phone switching center for downtown Cleveland. For many years, it was one of the biggest switching stations in the country.

In 1983, Ohio Bell moved its main offices again, to 45 Erieview. Today, the Huron Road Building has been updated. It now helps provide DSL internet service for Cleveland.

Fun Facts About the Building

• Some people say that Joe Shuster, who helped create Superman, used this building as a model for the Daily Planet building. However, Shuster himself said that Cleveland did not inspire his ideas for Metropolis.
• The building can be seen in the ABC TV show Agent Carter. It appears in several episodes as a background outside the SSR offices.
• You can also spot the building briefly in The Avengers movie from 2012.

Images for kids

• 

  The AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland.

See also

In Spanish: AT&T Huron Road Building para niños