Bell Telephone Company Building (Philadelphia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bell Telephone Company Building
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 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1827-35 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Stopper, Eugene; Zantzinger and Borie |
| Architectural style | Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000849 |
| Added to NRHP | August 07, 2000 |
The Bell Telephone Company Building is a historic 17-story skyscraper. It's located at 1835 Arch Street in the Logan Square area of downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This building was once a very important place for making long distance phone calls. It was used by the Bell Telephone Company.
When it was built in 1925, it helped start a new age of telephone communication. This was the time when long distance "trunk lines" became common. Because of its importance, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history.
Building History
The Bell Telephone Company Building was designed by an architect named Eugene Stopper. Many people think this is his most famous building. He was a great choice for the job! He had designed banks before, which helped him create the customer areas on the first floor. He also designed industrial buildings using strong reinforced concrete. This experience was useful for the upper floors, where all the telephone equipment was kept.
The building is built in the Moderne style. It uses brick, with special limestone details on the first and fourteenth floors. The top three floors are set back, which was a popular style for skyscrapers in New York City back then. Inside, the first floor has beautiful marble walls and shiny terrazzo floors. You can also see the company's famous Bell logo there.
The Rise of Long Distance Calls
In the early 1920s, making long distance phone calls became very popular. This meant the telephone company needed many new switchboards and more telephone operators. Philadelphia was a perfect spot for this growth. It was about halfway between New York City and Washington, D.C.. It was also the starting point for a major phone line that went all the way to Chicago. This line followed the Pennsylvania Railroad's main route.
To handle all these new calls, the Bell Telephone Company built many new buildings. These buildings had names like the Telephone Building in New York and the St. Louis Telephone Building. Both were built around 1926. Other important buildings included the Ohio Bell Telephone Building in Cleveland and the New Jersey Bell Telephone Building in Newark. These were finished before 1930. The New York and New Jersey buildings are also on the National Register of Historic Places. The Cleveland building is part of a historic district.
Location and Legacy
The main long distance phone lines were placed close to Philadelphia's newer downtown area. This area grew up around Philadelphia City Hall. Once these lines were in place, they decided where other Bell Telephone buildings would be built. These new buildings needed to be close to the important phone lines. For example, the company's stainless steel skyscraper built in 1950 at 16th and Cherry Streets followed this pattern. So did the Bell Atlantic Tower built in 1991 at 18th and Arch Streets.
In 1970, the long distance phone equipment was moved to a new, modern building. The Bell Telephone Company Building was then updated to be used as offices for the phone company. Air conditioning was also added at this time. Around 1990, the building was sold and changed into a self-storage facility. It was sold again in 2001 and turned into apartments.
