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The Titanpointe

Short answer: The AT&T Long Lines Building at 33 Thomas Street in Manhattan is a 550-foot (168 m) windowless brutalist tower completed in 1974, designed by John Carl Warnecke & Associates to house long-distance telephone switching equipment and to withstand disasters, including nuclear fallout.

In 2016, The Intercept reported that documents linked it to a National Security Agency surveillance site code-named Titanpointe; AT&T and the NSA did not confirm. The footage shows the building from street level.

VideoWrite-up1 sources

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What should you know about The Titanpointe?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. 33 Thomas Street.

    DD-400-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit A (Address)

  2. 550 ft.

    DD-400-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit B (Height)

Video transcript: The Titanpointe: A 550-Foot Windowless Tower Stands in Lower Manhattan

Did you know? The AT&T Long Lines building, located at 33 Thomas Street in Manhattan, is a 550-foot-tall windowless skyscraper completed in 1974 and designed in the brutalist architectural style by John Carl Warnecke. Originally constructed to house telephone-switching equipment, it served as a critical hub for long-distance communications with its fortress-like design intended to protect against nuclear attacks and other disasters. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 23.8s Reel ·

Video coming soonThe Titanpointe · Instagram Reel
The Titanpointe: A 550-Foot Windowless Tower Stands in Lower Manhattan Instagram Reel · · 23.8s

The write-up

A 550-foot windowless tower stands in lower Manhattan. It was built in 1974 to house telephone switching equipment.

  1. Exhibit A

    Address

    33 Thomas Street.

  2. Exhibit B

    Height

    550 ft.

  3. Exhibit C

    Completed

    1974.

  4. Exhibit D

    Architect

    John Carl Warnecke.

  5. Exhibit E

    2016 report

    The Intercept linked it to Titanpointe.

Questions people ask about The Titanpointe

Where is it?

Lower Manhattan.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Address) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

How tall?

Windowless.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Height) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

When completed?

1970s.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Completed) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

What did it house?

AT&T.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Architect) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

Who reported the Titanpointe link?

2016.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (2016 report) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. Where is it?

    1. Manhattan
    2. Chicago
    3. Boston
    4. Washington
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Manhattan Lower Manhattan. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Address) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

  2. How tall?

    1. 550 ft
    2. 1,776 ft
    3. 200 ft
    4. 1,000 ft
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. 550 ft Windowless. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Height) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

  3. When completed?

    1. 1974
    2. 1931
    3. 2001
    4. 1955
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. 1974 1970s. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Completed) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

  4. What did it house?

    1. Telephone switching equipment
    2. Apartments
    3. A hotel
    4. A museum
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Telephone switching equipment AT&T. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Architect) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

  5. Who reported the Titanpointe link?

    1. The Intercept
    2. Time
    3. Wired
    4. Vogue
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. The Intercept 2016. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (2016 report) · Wikipedia: 33 Thomas Street

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "The Titanpointe." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-400, last updated Nov 30, 2024. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-titanpointe/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-titanpointe/ · Last updated

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