New York City is home to many high-rise buildings—the American city is only third behind Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, for most skyscrapers—so there are bound to be a few that no one really knows why they’re there.
Especially if it’s got ZERO windows, too – talk about unique architecture.
33 Thomas Street in New York has baffled residents and the internet for a while, leading to many speculating as to what may be going on within its four walls.
Some have even been so brave as to attempt to enter the building to discover for themselves. But to be honest, you’re not going to have a clue unless told by someone that has worked in the building who is willing to spill the beans, and indeed that has happened.
33 Thomas Street has a lot of mystery that surrounds it (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2023 under the condition on anonymity, the man says that he was invited, along with his son, in the early 2000s to work as a steamfitter – which involves someone installing wiring and pipes within a building.
According to the son, they were forbidden from entering into certain rooms.
He said: “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.”
He claimed that him, his father and the rest of the team were ultimately forced to install wires around the room.
He further claimed that crew supposedly came across confidential papers in a cabinet in the basement – and what makes it even more interesting is the documents supposedly detailed what to do in the event of a radiation attack.
If you were to look into it further, you’ll find the official use of the building is as a telephone interchange, and it was formerly known as the AT&T Long Lines Building – so basically just a place to wire up tons of phone lines.
A man who claimed to have worked in the building has revealed all (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
According to a TikToker, the building ‘has enough gas, water and electricity to be able to continue running independently for up to two weeks and is supposed to be able to actually withstand a nuclear blast… within reason’.
However, despite this knowledge, people have come up with their own wild predictions as to the building’s use.
One theory has suggested that the building is some sort of nuclear shelter – which seems a pretty wild conclusion even for conspiracy theorists.
While another theory is that it’s a supposed listening post for the National Security Agency (NSA), called ‘Titanpointe’ – with an investigation by The Intercept claiming that parts of the building were dedicated to surveillance.
However, until anyone tells us otherwise, the simplest explanation is probably the correct one in that the building is, in fact, used for telephone interchange.
