
33 Thomas Street - jawns
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33_Thomas_Street
======
whoisstan
Captured those reflections on the building this morning, they look like a
puzzle.

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/whoisstan/49074343638/in/datep...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/whoisstan/49074343638/in/dateposted-
public/)

~~~
gniv
Wow, very nice photo. Are these the reflections of the windows from 220 Church
Street?

~~~
whoisstan
I only caught that while running by for a brisk morning jog. I didn’t pay much
attention to the source.

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Jerry2
This video about 33 Thomas St building was awesome:

> _Field of Vision - Project X_

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOJugaGK0eU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOJugaGK0eU)

> _A top-secret handbook takes viewers on an undercover journey to
> Titanpointe, the site of a hidden partnership. Narrated by Rami Malek and
> Michelle Williams, and based on classified NSA documents, Project X reveals
> the inner workings of a windowless skyscraper in downtown Manhattan._

> _Directed by Laura Poitras and Henrik Moltke._

~~~
obituary_latte
I came across this video from the linked Wikipedia article. It’s a good video
but lacks much detail IMO. I was hoping for something longer and more in depth
(although it did lead me down a rabbit hole of Field of Vision videos which
are all _excellent_ ). Does anyone know of more detailed vids about the
building? The suggested YouTube videos didn’t offer much.

~~~
dmix
[https://theintercept.com/2016/11/16/the-nsas-spy-hub-in-
new-...](https://theintercept.com/2016/11/16/the-nsas-spy-hub-in-new-york-
hidden-in-plain-sight/)

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malexw
Whenever I hear about this building I can't help but be reminded of Geoff
Manaugh's idea for a Ghostbusters III, where the Ghostbusters discover that
the NYNEX telephone system is actually... well, I'll let you read it:
[http://www.bldgblog.com/tag/ghostbusters-
iii/](http://www.bldgblog.com/tag/ghostbusters-iii/)

~~~
Sniffnoy
Note, that link is actually a link to a tag page; it just happens that the
post you're trying to point out is the only post with that tag. The actual
post link is here: [http://www.bldgblog.com/2009/06/nynex-embedded-angel-of-
new-...](http://www.bldgblog.com/2009/06/nynex-embedded-angel-of-new-york-
city/)

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Merrill
The 18 foot ceilings accommodated the then standard 11 foot, 6 inch equipment
racks, with space overhead for cable racks, bus bars, AC ducts, etc. It was
built about the time that the standard was changed to 7 foot racks for the new
electronic switching systems.

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thdrdt
Brutalism is a strange style. It alienates but I always feel it is closer to
humans than most modern buildings.

~~~
keiferski
I've often thought similar things. I think it's because in comparison to many
glass modern buildings, Brutalist ones tend to age in way that appears more
organic. They also don't tend to have a ton of windows, which is more inline
with historical architecture.

~~~
thdrdt
Yes, I also think that stone and rock (concrete) feel more natural than glass.

~~~
Merrill
There is also no practical reason to have windows in a telephone equipment
building. They cannot be opened to cool, they only would light a limited area
along the wall. The entire building must be air conditioned, and lighting is
only turned on when people are in the equipment aisles.

Warehouses and data centers are the same, except that they don't attract
attention since they are low horizontal structures with much more utilitarian
cladding.

The most interesting telecom buildings are the ones underground.

~~~
fourthark
This one lacks windows because it was built to withstand a nuclear war.

“But it’s downtown” you say. “No way it would withstand a direct hit.”

Rumor I heard is that they thought for sure they would have SDI protecting
Manhattan, and this is only supposed to survive a hit on Queens or Newark or
something.

Crazy!

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d1str0
I too watched the latest Half as Interesting. :)

~~~
danfraticiu
I too wanted to post this comment :)

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martyvis
All major cities seemed to end up with similar facilities at end of the 1970s
to cope with the exponential reach of telecommunications at that point. In
Australia, Melbourne has 320 Exhibition Street
[http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/telstra-
exhibition-...](http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/telstra-exhibition-
exchange/19804) and in Sydney, the Kent St Exchange Telstra Kent Telephone
Exchange

95/105A Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
[https://g.co/kgs/3ifj5d](https://g.co/kgs/3ifj5d)

(At least they both have windows - I've been in Exhibition and they do
function )

~~~
oogali
While just as impressive, that Telstra exchange point is more similar to
Verizon's building at 375 Pearl Street [than 33 Thomas] which held local
Verizon local switching facilities for many years (f/k/a Bell Atlantic, f/k/a
NYNEX, f/k/a New York Telephone).

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/375_Pearl_Street](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/375_Pearl_Street)

------
degenerate
Related article from 2016 about the building: TITANPOINTE "Project X"

[https://theintercept.com/2016/11/16/the-nsas-spy-hub-in-
new-...](https://theintercept.com/2016/11/16/the-nsas-spy-hub-in-new-york-
hidden-in-plain-sight/)

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jimnotgym
I find it funny that brutalist buildings always remind me of Nineteen Eighty
Four. It is amusing then you find out it may be a hub of mass surveillance.

~~~
52-6F-62
On the other hand, Roberts Library at U of Toronto is a haven and protectorate
for knowledge and rare books. And it looks like a fortress! It’s one of my
favourite buildings and one of my first stops in the event of a sci-fi-level
zombie Armageddon.

[https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/st...](https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/libraryphotos/robarts-
library_0.jpg?itok=T7gmCpL0)

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Fisher_Rare_Book_Libr...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Fisher_Rare_Book_Library)

~~~
chacha2
Looks like a Turkey.

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raverbashing
Legend says there is a building of such importance in central London but of
course it's officially denied (or at least was)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BT_Tower](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BT_Tower)

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rasz
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_(video_game)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_\(video_game\))
used this building as an inspiration for 'The Oldest House'

~~~
gmueckl
You barely get to see the outside of "The Oldest House" in that game. But the
interior spaces designed in that game are something else. It's almost entirely
white light on concrete, but the mileage they get out of that is amazing.

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anonu
It was the Snowden leak that confirmed it was an nsa site.

~~~
fourthark
To be fair, there are a lot of NSA sites. This one just looks impressive.

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carterschonwald
i actually was in that building to meet a friend one time (he was working at
ATT labs at the time).

the spinning door into the lobby is the most intensely rugged/durable looking
thing i've ever seen, and every door was electronic lock access only.

lack of windows aside, a neat space!

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fit2rule
See also One Wilshire Blvd, in downtown LA, which has been widely known as a
CIA listening point for the entire Oceania/Pacific region for years ..

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skizm
Isn’t there another one of these in Hell’s Kitchen area? I used to live right
next to it.

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zeroping
Man, I'd love to have a tour.

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whalesalad
A video all about this building was in my recommended YouTube yesterday. Deja
vu.

~~~
ddxxdd
Deja Vu is the feeling that a current event is identical to an event from
memory.

This is actually a Baader Meinhoff moment for you.

~~~
visarga
Literally it is correct - 'already seen'

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rb808
>SKIDROWE

As someone who always struggles coming up with names, this acronym(?) is
awesome.

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saagarjha
> The building has also been described as the likely location of a National
> Security Agency (NSA) mass surveillance hub codenamed TITANPOINTE.

Of course it is…

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walrus01
See also, 60 hudson

~~~
jrockway
Is 60 Hudson a notable spying location? I've been inside there and didn't even
have to sign in, we just went right up to our cage.

111 8th Avenue has "National Security Agency" on the tenant directory you see
when you walk in. Always thought it was weird that Google leased some of its
building to the NSA after the Snowden leaks. (When I worked there, one of my
pet projects was to remove the access codes for the bathrooms. Eventually it
was escalated high enough and they told me that the NSA demanded it. The codes
were like 1 3 5 and 2 4 6. I never understood the purpose other than to annoy
me.)

~~~
busterarm
The 10th avenue building Google also shares with the FBI (top floor). I've
always thought that the FBI taking a floor in E-Corp's building in Mr Robot
was a dig at Google because of this.

The building one block north of there is the NYC DEA office.

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forgotmypw10
One of my favorite buildings in downtown Manhattan.

~~~
rdl
I like the "jenga building" near it, too. (56 Leonard)

~~~
anonu
That building is insane. Apartments are $3000 plus a sqft. There's not that
many high rises in downtown Manhattan that command prices like that...
Definitely on the high end. Not sure if you'd really want 33 Thomas as your
main view though

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etaioinshrdlu
I don't know why this type of building is even tolerable. What is this, the
USSR? It looks like it could be the Ministry of Love...

