AT&T Switching Center

This article is about the switching center in Los Angeles. For the one in New York City, see 811 Tenth Avenue.

The AT&T Madison Complex Tandem Office is a 17-story, 79 m (259 ft) building in Los Angeles, California, completed in 1961. With its microwave tower, used through 1993, bringing the overall height to 137 m (449 ft), it is the 47th tallest building in Los Angeles. The building serves 1.3 million phone lines in area code 213, and other Los Angeles area codes, for foreign long-distance calling.

AT&T Madison Complex Tandem Office
Alternative names	AT&T Switching Center PacBell Tower Pacific Telephone Tower SBC Building SBC Communications Switching Station
General information
Type	Commercial offices Switching station
Location	420 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34.050750°N 118.252614°W / 34.050750; -118.252614
Completed	1961
Owner	AT&T
Height
Antenna spire	136.55 m (448.0 ft)
Roof	79 m (259 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	17
Design and construction
Architect(s)	John B. Parkinson Donald D. Parkinson
References
[1][2][3][4][5]

The site plays host to technology used in the NSA's Fairview surveillance program.^[6][7]

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles

References

1. "AT&T Switching Center". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
2. "Emporis building ID 116497". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
3. AT&T Switching Center at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
4. "AT&T Switching Center". SkyscraperPage.
5. AT&T Switching Center at Structurae
6. Gallagher, Ryan; Moltke, Henrik; Poitras, Laura (November 16, 2016). "The NSA's Spy Hub in New York, Hidden in Plain Sight". The Intercept. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
7. New York Times, AT&T Helped U.S. Spy on Internet on a Vast Scale & Pro Publica, NSA Spying Relies on AT&T’s ‘Extreme Willingness to Help’, August 15, 2015.

Further reading

• "Los Angeles Central Offices Madison Complex". The Central Office. March 14, 2009. Archived from the original on September 3, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
• "AT&T Tower, Los Angeles, California". Southland Architecture. 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
• Gallagher, Ryan; Moltke, Henrik (June 25, 2018). "The NSA's Hidden Spy Hubs in Eight U.S. Cities". The Intercept. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.