People on social media have been left confused by a mysterious skyscraper in New York City that is the equivalent of 40 storeys high. The creepy-looking building has caught people’s eyes due to it’s windowless appearances with plenty of wild theories about what goes on behind the doors being speculated. From an office full of vampires to the Men in Black headquarters, it’s mysterious look has got many talking. Images of the building have been around before, with Tom Hanks even tweeting back in 2017: “This is the scariest building I’ve ever seen! WTF goes on inside??” In recent days the image has resurfaced again Twitter and Reddit, leading to even more speculation about what could be inside. One user said: “Lizard people don’t need windows,” while another wrote: “Gives off MI-6 vibes.” Sadly for everyone, all of the wild rumours about aliens and vampires isn’t true however there are reportedly some dark tales behind it.
Located on 33 Thomas Street in New York City, the skyscraper is also known as the Long Lines Building. Designed and built between 1969 and 1974, it house one of the most important telecommunications companies in the USA – AT&T (the American Telephone and Telegraph Company) before they left in 1999. According to an investigation carried out by The Intercept in 2016, there’s more secrets behind the walls of the building, with their findings leading them to believe it’s a secret base of the NSA (National Security Agency). Documents leaked by Edward Snowdon gave “compelling evidence” to suggest it was used by the NSA surveillance site, code-named TITANPOINTE. When asked, the NSA declined to comment and the mystery behind the building still rumbles on to this day.
The Secrets of 33 Thomas Street
A man who claims to have worked inside the mysterious windowless skyscraper at 33 Thomas Street in Manhattan described what he experienced inside — and the harsh restrictions on many areas and rooms. A steamfitter, a person responsible for installing wiring and pipes carrying liquids and gases under high pressure, said he was invited to work in the building with his son back in the early 2000s.
His son, who spoke to the Daily Mail under the condition of anonymity, fearing for his safety, described the odd restrictions of the building, which were incredibly strict. He said there were several rooms they couldn't enter, and, as such, they were forced to conduct their steamfitting around them — something he said is rather unheard of in the business.
“There were rooms we couldn't get into. They specifically told us not to enter, and we couldn't ask what's inside or why we can't go in,” the man recalled. He added that the small crew he and his father were working with ended up finding confidential papers in a filing cabinet in the building's basement — a contingency plan for the many electronic machines inside in the case of a radiation attack, he said.
A Building Designed for the Cold War
At the time of its construction, the Daily Mail reported that the building was used for over two decades as a center for telephone company AT&T's long-distance phone exchange. In 1999, the company moved elsewhere, and the skyscraper, which is often called the Windowless Building, reverted to its original purpose — telephone switching for local carriers. The building was reportedly constructed to withstand a blast from an atomic bomb, The Intercept reported in 2016. It contains 29 floors and three basement levels, which house supplies that can sustain 1,500 people for up to two weeks, it was reported. It's main purpose was to safeguard telecommunications infrastructure during the Cold War, which had reached a peak by the time it was constructed. It was designed by John Carl Warnecke & Associates with the purpose of being a communication fortress, and it was spearheaded by the New York Telephone Company, which is a subsidiary of AT&T, the Daily Mail reported.
More Than Just Telecommunications
But that isn't all that goes on in the building, either. The man who worked inside the building, as well as reporters who sleuthed around for the Daily Mail, said parts of the building are being used to house high-security datacenters. And, leaked information from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden indicates the building serves as a hub for the National Security Agency as it conducts surveillance. The site is codenamed TITANPOINTE, according to leaked documents, which don't name the building. Interviews with former employees of AT&T and others are compelling, however, it was reported. Speculation about what goes on inside the building has been rife on social media, with many speculating that it's a U.S. office for Britain's MI6. Others joked that mythological creatures are housed inside, especially vampires.
What’s Really Inside
What actually goes on inside likely won't be known, however, as it appears to be classified. Nevertheless, the building highlights the controversial practice of wiretapping by the NSA as privacy laws are blasted into the spotlight once again. If you take a trip to New York City, you might find yourself passing right by a monstrous monolith of concrete known as 33 Thomas Street. Besides the ground floor entrance, there are absolutely no windows on this skyscraper, resulting in this brutalist behemoth holding an air of mystery. If you can't see inside the windowless skyscraper, then they could be doing anything in there - perhaps this is where the US government has been stashing those aliens all along while we've all been thinking about Area 51. One man who has been in there spoke to the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity about what he saw when he was hired to install something in the building in the early 2000s.
The man and his son said they weren't allowed into certain parts of the windowless skyscraper, which was built in 1974, and there were bits of the building that were off-limits to any and all visitors. So far, so reasonable. There are plenty of buildings where you're not just allowed to wander in and have a poke around at whatever bits you like. Plus, just because you've been hired to do some work on a place doesn't mean you'll have the run of the entire building - though feel free to unleash your imagination on the question of what they might have to hide. Slightly more suspicious is that the man and his son 'couldn't ask what's inside or why we couldn't go in' the bits of the building they were forbidden from attempting to access. It's not just what he saw, but also what he wasn't allowed to see. So obviously it's aliens, or maybe just stuff they don't want to talk about and let strangers have a fiddle round with. Besides, when you have a windowless skyscraper, you might want to cultivate an aura of mystery just for the hell of it.
A Nuclear Bunker?
What they did stumble upon and see were documents detailing what to do with certain machines in the building in the event of nuclear fallout. When it comes to 33 Thomas Street, however, this baby can apparently be self-sufficient for two weeks in the event of a nuclear catastrophe with enough supplies to keep 1,500 people cared for, which might be important considering what's officially in there. The official story is that 33 Thomas Street was built to house phone switching equipment, and it was formerly called the AT&T Long Lines Building. Basically, it was a place with equipment that connected long distance phone calls - however, it doesn't mean it hasn't been safe from a few conspiracy theories. A few years back, the New York Times reported that this windowless skyscraper could also be a supposed listening post for the National Security Agency (NSA) codenamed 'Titanpointe'. They also pointed towards a documentary called Project X and a 2016 report from The Intercept which claimed that the building had some parts of it dedicated to surveillance.
The Truth Remains Elusive
The truth about what exactly goes on inside the mysterious windowless skyscraper is still a secret. While rumors abound, the real activities within its walls remain classified, leaving us to speculate and ponder the mysteries that lie behind its unyielding facade.
