Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, Old Main Building
Encyclopedia
The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, Old Main Building is an historic structure located in Downtown Washington, D.C.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1988.
built this building as its new main exchange. Designed by architect Leon Eidlitz, it was the first of a complex of buildings the company would construct at this site. The building houses what was considered to be the largest telephone switchboard at the time. It began operations in September 1904 and served 6,000 at the beginning. The new system eliminated the multiple rings on party lines and the need for an operator to interrupt the line to determine whether a subscriber had completed a call or wanted to receive calls.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988.
History
As the number of businesses in Washington increasingly relied in telephone service, Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone CompanyC&P Telephone
The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, usually known as C&P Telephone, was a d/b/a name for four Bell Operating Companies providing service to Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia....
built this building as its new main exchange. Designed by architect Leon Eidlitz, it was the first of a complex of buildings the company would construct at this site. The building houses what was considered to be the largest telephone switchboard at the time. It began operations in September 1904 and served 6,000 at the beginning. The new system eliminated the multiple rings on party lines and the need for an operator to interrupt the line to determine whether a subscriber had completed a call or wanted to receive calls.
See also
- Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company BuildingChesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company BuildingThe Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company Building is an historic structure located in Downtown Washington, D.C. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.-History:...
- Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company Warehouse and Repair FacilityChesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company Warehouse and Repair FacilityThe Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company Warehouse and Repair Facility is an Art Deco industrial building, located at 1111 North Capitol Street, Northeast, Washington, D.C., in the NoMa neighborhood.-History:It was built in 1927....