The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-01-27

Indiana Bell Mo1es Into Ne7v Structure DISPENSING With Rites
fife and drum, ora

w torical blare or floral offer
ings. the Indiana Bell Telephone
Company's new seven-story build
ing was opened this week
Contrasting with the openings of
buildings of the good old days"
the new structures doors opened to
immediate service to the public.
individuality and simpleness is
the keynote of the building, from
the first floor, with its business
Offices, where each subscriber takes
up his troubles at an individual desk.
to the lighting effects, with their
suffuSing of rays.
The building, unofacially was
opened to Offices of the company in
July, when the first department was
moved from the old red-brick struc-
ture to the new.
Has Unique Features
Primarily an equipment building
of the future, the new structure is
unique in its room heights and mar
roWness Of windows.
Both rooms and windows are
made to care for equipment and
cables in the future, and where to-
day adding machines buzz, posterity
will see automatic telephone ex-
changes.
The lobby is of marble. with
"moderne" lighting, and walls and
ceiling giving off silvered effect.
The first floor houses business
offices and tellers.
Bills are paid to tellers who sit
at a bench resembling that of
court.
Automatic Phones in Lifts
The four elevators have automatic
telephones which can be used for
calls to and from the elevator if
necessary.
The second floor houses the
plant department; third floor. traffic
department; fourth, commercial
division; fifth, accounting DEPART
ment; Sixth( American Telephone
and Telegraph Company. offices:
and seventh floor, administrative Of
fees of the Bell Company of In
diana.
A penthouse, that goes two floors
higher, stops the structure.
The seven floors of the Indiana
limestone building match and are
equivalent to eight floors of the
structure it joins.
Built to Carry Heavy Load
To make it possible that the build
ing will carry the load of heavy
equipment in the future, it has been
necessary to make the construction
stand $50 pounds to each square
foot. Ordinary office buildings are
designed for seventy-five pounds to
each square foot.
F1fty-f1ve carloads of limestone
and 2,700 tons of fabricated steel
went into the building.
The feat of engineering in turn
ing the old building to face New
York street and enable construc-
ton of a foundation for the new
building, made it a daily lounging
scene for downtown residents dur
ing the move.
The ride on rollers started at noon
on Oct. ID, 1880, and ended at 3
p. m. Nov. IL.
Service Kept Up
Huge long distance cables and
local lines followed the movers
around as the building rolled frac-
ton of an inch at time. Ele-
vators continued to operate through
out the move and long distance cir
cults operated as usual.
AS soon as the old structure halted
on its new site, the erection of its
mate began.
The Riley and Lincoln exchanges
and all operating apparatus is in
the old building
The new building is headquarters
for the executive, administrative
and accounting offices and plant of
the entire state.
Blends With Surroundings
Every telephone bill mailed to
subscribers in Indiana is figured and
turned out on addressographs in
the new building.
The architecture of the new build
ing was planned to blend with the
civic center growing on the border
of the World war memorial.
Architects of the structure we're
S. F. Voorhees, of New York and the
indianapolis firm of Vonnegut.
Bohn & Mueller Leslie Colvin, In
dianapolis, was the general contrac-
tor.