Coursera Flash Sale
40% Off Coursera Plus for 3 Months!
Grab it
This 12-minute video explores the mysterious 550-foot windowless skyscraper at 33 Thomas Street in Lower Manhattan. Discover the fascinating Cold War history behind this Brutalist structure, built by AT&T as a nuclear-hardened telecom switching hub but potentially serving a more secretive purpose as home to the NSA surveillance program TITANPOINTE. Learn how America's phone system evolved from party lines to mass wiretapping infrastructure, revealing the dual nature of telecommunications as both a means of connection and control. Hosted by Ryan Socash as part of the IT'S HISTORY series examining American urban decay, this well-researched presentation delves into the intersection of architecture, national security, and surveillance during the Cold War era.
