[VIDEO] Why New York’s Windowless Skyscraper Is Totally Forbidden

There’s a 550-foot skyscraper in Lower Manhattan with no windows, no logos, and no obvious purpose. Officially, it was built in the 1970s as a telecom switching hub—but behind its Brutalist facade lies a deeper, darker story of Cold War paranoia, surveillance infrastructure, and the quiet centralization of America’s communications empire.

In this episode, we dig into the strange history of 33 Thomas Street: a nuclear-hardened structure built by AT&T to safeguard the long-distance phone network—and possibly home to an NSA surveillance program known as TITANPOINTE. From the earliest party lines to the rise of mass wiretapping, discover how America’s phone system became a tool of both connection and control.

AT&T Long Lines Building
Matt Coneybeare

Matt Coneybeare

Editor in Chief

Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.

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