While surfing the web I cam across this web site that list telephone central offices with photos and exchange information. I emailed the webmaster to see if it was a active site since it hadn't been updated in a year.
http://www.thecentraloffice.com/index.htm
The site is actually maintained, but only very sporadically. I once submitted several corrections to some prefixes and office names, and it took months if not more to appear on the site.
I submitted pictures of Vancouvers main downtown CO probably about 8 years ago to add to the very sparse selection of Canadian CO's. Last time I checked they still hadn't been added and I assume that they probably won't be. But, I can relate to never having the time to add to and update things like this.
Terry
I just emailed them about the missing listings... for Idaho.. wonder if they'll update it...
Well, I think all of the info that is on the site is provided to them by various contributors who send them good pictures along with descriptions. But, that is what I did and it was never posted. So I suspect that emailing in a request for new additions without providing the pictures and info will get very little reaction. I don't think they have a travel budget!
Terry
Maybe we, as a group, can ask to take over maintenance of the web site.
Wisconsin is conspicuous by its absence on that site. My Frontier (ex-GTE) CO is right up the street (OKFDWIXA), and I know we still have a number of independent telephone cooperatives around the state as well.
I've seen this site before.... nice, but boring.....
Quote from: KaiserFrazer67 on March 08, 2017, 06:24:06 AM
Wisconsin is conspicuous by its absence on that site.
Interesting, indeed, in that this site exits at all. I know of a couple in Wisconsin and several wireless sites and since the 70s, all COs that I know of had their windows bricked in, the names removed from the building and anything that made them look like a switch removed. These now nondescript building sit quietly covered from the streets, in many cases by mature trees, and see little activity in that people parking to enter the building park inside a fenced area, not on the street. I am thinking that may have had something to do with the violent student anti-draft riots in Madison in the late 60s when these buildings, along with banks and other major stores, came under attack and a new policy was implemented to both fortify them and make then as anonymous as possible.
Even PCS (wireless) buildings follow that pattern. I know of one in Appleton and 2 in the Milwaukee area that one would not notice them except for someone with a trained eye seeing the huge bank of emergency generators along a side of a building.
Just my thoughts but it seems there was a move to camouflage COs in Wisconsin going back decades, which may have worked to their advantage in today's threat to disrupt anything and everything for some reason.
Just surprised the telcos haven't objected to this site and sued for its removal.
Quote from: TelePlay on April 22, 2017, 01:13:09 PM
Interesting, indeed, in that this site exits at all. I know of a couple in Wisconsin and several wireless sites and since the 70s, all COs that I know of had their windows bricked in, the names removed from the building and anything that made them look like a switch removed. These now nondescript building sit quietly covered from the streets, in many cases by mature trees, and see little activity in that people parking to enter the building park inside a fenced area, not on the street. I am thinking that may have had something to do with the violent student anti-draft riots in Madison in the late 60s when these buildings, along with banks and other major stores, came under attack and a new policy was implemented to both fortify them and make then as anonymous as possible.
Just my thoughts but it seems there was a move to camouflage COs in Wisconsin going back decades, which may have worked to their advantage in today's threat to disrupt anything and everything for some reason.
Driving through downtown and being forced to stop in traffic for a red light, looked left and saw this building. This is the CO for AT&T. No markings and as I moved forward, look down the alley, a very deep building, the side has just as many windows as the front but they were all filled in with some sort of light colors concrete squares.
As for the front windows, I have a feeling that only the one to the left of the door, the one with blinds showing, is the only "real"window with an office behind it, the rest being backed by some relatively impervious barricade (the spots on the image are rain drops on my car window).
So, Wisconsin DOES have COs, just have to either know where they are or get lucky on spotting them.
Wow, didn't know there were any telephone collectors in my town! I suppose you could be just down the street from me right now. Nice to meet you John! Guess it is a small town after all. Do you do any telephone stuff for the locals?
I found out a few years ago that building was our CO as well. Surprised there is only 1 CO for a city of 70,000 and it is smack downtown.
How did you recognize it as the CO?
There were websites like the one provided (there are multiple listed at www.thebellsystem.wordpress.com/telephony) that list central office locations. I recognized that building immediately.
Haven't been to downtown Waukesha in years now, but I remember that building!