Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Marcin Wichary /@tomhanks /X
A concrete skyscraper without windows is pretty haunting.
Actor Tom Hanks was the first to spot it, sharing a photo of the dubbed 'windowless building' on 33 Thomas Street back in 2017.
'This is the scariest building I've ever seen! WTF goes on inside?' he tweeted.
Could it be a secret government project? A place for UFO research? Or just a derelict building with no other agenda?
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The 550-feet tall building with 29 storeys has puzzled New Yorker onlookers and passer-bys since its completion in 1974.
Luckily, TikToker Eric Guidry has shared the not-so-eery purpose of the building.
It turns out that it's part of many buildings that have been constructed as part of AT&T's long lines network.
And this example on 33 Thomas Street is said to be 'one of the most secure towers in the world.'
'So that building in New York, this windowless building in San Francisco, this one in Chicago, this one in Austin and hundreds more buildings placed conspicuously across the country, in very populous locations,' Guidry added.
'Before we had digital telephony, the lines on your phones physically connected to the person on the other end's phone.
'That meant we need these massive switching hubs.'
According to Guidry, most of those buildings he showed were built in the 1970s or perhaps earlier which means that there weren't actual operators at the time.
'And because this machinery didn't particularly care if there was light or not, they just decided, why add windows?' the social media user continued.
So there you have it, the lack of windows isn't to keep anything hidden, it's more because they'd be pointless if no one was going to be inside.
'It 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.'
Obviously, time have changed now with everything being digitalised. However, it's still 'critical for network and internet infrastructure.'
Despite the less exciting explanation, what remains creepy is the story shared by one of the steamfitters who worked there.
The man, remaining anonymous for safety reasons, was responsible for installing wiring and pipes carrying liquids and gases under high pressure along with his son back in the early 2000s.
His son explained that their crew was strictly forbidden to enter certain rooms in the building.
'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 said.
Safety reasons or not, you can't deny the spooky vibes this building gives off.
