Monday, February 2, 2015

Telephone Use in Altadena Circa 1937

That mysterious building without windows on the northwest corner of Lake and Elizabeth (which is now in Pasadena) used to be the phone exchange sub-station for all phones in Altadena.  According to an article in the Tuesday, April 1, 1937 edition of The Altadena Press, "STerling-NIagara exchanges [are] all handled in this building of the Southern California Telephone Company."
The building in 1937
"Busy Lines Hum in Phone System for Community - 12,200 Instruments in Use through Exchange for Altadena District."
 All of Altadena's lines were in the STerling and NIagara districts. In 1937, the total number of phones in all of Pasadena was given at 40,941.
The building today. But what's inside?