By MADISON BURGESS – Daily Mail
What was the building used for?
The truth behind the building doesn’t quite live up to the wild theories of aliens and ‘lizard people’ – however, it is interesting and does reportedly have some dark secrets.
It’s located at 33 Thomas Street in New York City and is also known as the Long Lines Building.
It was designed and built between 1969 and 1974 to house AT&T (the American Telephone and Telegraph Company) telephone switching equipment – one of the most important telecommunications hubs in the USA.
The equipment required a high level of space and a secure location, therefore the building’s floors are taller than average.
Despite being as high as a 40-story tower, it actually only has 29 floors.
The skyscraper is also rumored to be originally designed to withstand a nuclear blast and had enough food to keep 1,500 people alive for two weeks in the event of a catastrophe.
What is it used for today?
Since being built it functioned as AT&T’s long-distance telephone exchange until 1999, when the company moved elsewhere.
Today, the windowless skyscraper is still sometimes used for its original purpose of telephone switching by some local exchange carriers.
Other areas of the building are reportedly used as a high security datacenter.
It’s now more commonly known as 33 Thomas Street, rather than the AT&T building or the Long Lines Building.
It’s located at 33 Thomas Street in New York City and is also known as the Long Lines Building
It was designed and built between 1969 and 1974 to house AT&T (the American Telephone and Telegraph Company) telephone switching equipment – one of the most important telecommunications hubs in the USA
The dark secrets behind it
However, an investigation by The Intercept in 2016, revealed that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this building.
They, alongside a multitude of conspiracy theorists, believe it’s a secret base of the NSA (National Security Agency).
Their investigation, that includes leaked documents by Edward Snowden, provides ‘compelling evidence’ that 33 Thomas Street has served as an NSA) surveillance site, code-named TITANPOINTE.
The Intercept claims that according to a former AT&T engineer, ‘there is a major international “gateway switch” which routes phone calls between the United States and countries across the world.’
Reportedly, the agency has tapped into these calls from a secure facility within the AT&T building, and it’s one of the most important National Security Agency surveillance sites in the United States.
The leaked Edward Snowden documents claim the structure was used for spying on phone calls, fax messages and Internet data and was first developed under the name ‘Project X’.
The NSA declined to give a comment to The Intercept on the investigation and what really goes on behind the building’s doors remains a mystery.
Surrounded by other normal looking buildings, 33 Thomas Street stands out like a sore thumb, towering into the sky
The Intercept, alongside a multitude of conspiracy theorists, believe it’s a secret base of the NSA (National Security Agency)
The Intercept claims that, according to a former AT&T engineer, ‘there is a major international “gateway switch” which routes phone calls between the United States and countries across the world’
What are the other theories?
Some social media users lean into the wild theories, whereas others aren’t as convinced.
One Redditor wrote: ‘Probably data center and not occupied by people’ while another added: ‘It’s a telecom central office no big mystery at all, most major cities have several. It’s air conditioned due to the equipment.’
Meanwhile on Twitter, users theorized: ‘So is this where all the vampires live now?’ and: ‘Looks like something that should be in Dune.’
The vampire theory has proved popular, as users jested that they wouldn’t be able to work with sunlight coming in through the windows.
Others are convinced little green aliens and other extraterrestrial creatures are being hidden away from the world, behind the building’s eerie walls.
One user said: ‘This where they keep the aliens,’ and another added: ‘100% Lizard headquarters.’
Another guessed: ‘I believe it’s the headquarters of Men in Black,’ while someone else questioned: ‘Gotham city?,’ joking that the skyscraper belongs in Batman.