Southern New England Telephone Company Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Southern New England Telephone Company Building
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 55 Trumbull St., Hartford, Connecticut |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | Foote, Roy W.; et al. |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000417 |
| Added to NRHP | May 12, 2004 |
Imagine a tall, old building in Hartford, Connecticut that looks like something from a classic movie! That's the Southern New England Telephone Company Building. It's a historic, twelve-story building at 55 Trumbull Street. Built in 1931, it has a cool style called Art Deco. This building was once home to a big telephone company. Today, many people live there. It's so special that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
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Discovering the Building's Unique Style and Story
This amazing building is located in downtown Hartford. You can find it on the south side, right where Jewell and Trumbull Streets meet. It even looks out over Bushnell Park!
What Does It Look Like?
The building stands twelve stories tall. Its outside is covered with beautiful granite and limestone. It shows off the cool and fancy Art Deco style. This style was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
The front of the building faces Jewell Street. It has fifteen sections, called "bays." These sections are arranged in a special pattern. You can see cool Art Deco carvings at the bottom of the second floor. The main entrance today is framed by a decorated rectangle.
How the Building Grew Over Time
The building was designed by an architect named Roy Foote. The first six floors were finished in 1931. But the builders knew it might need to be bigger later! So, they planned for more floors from the start.
In 1952, six more stories were added. These new floors were designed by Westcott and Mapes. They made sure the new part looked exactly like the old part. It was a perfect match!
A Home for Telephone History
For many years, this building was very important for phones in Connecticut. The Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET) used it for their offices. They also kept their telephone switching equipment here. This equipment helped connect phone calls all over the state.
Did you know SNET was the first company to bring "dial service" to Connecticut? This meant people could dial numbers themselves instead of asking an operator. Dial service started in Hartford in 1922.
The telephone company began moving out of the building in the 1970s. By the late 1990s, they had completely left. Now, this historic building has a new life, mostly as homes for people.
