‘Urban Giants’, A Short Documentary About Two Art Deco Towers at the Center of New York City Telecommunications

“Urban Giants” is a short documentary produced by communication company Telx that takes a close look at two large towers in lower Manhattan that have played a major role in American telecommunications since being built in the early 1930s. The Western Union Building on Hudson Street and the AT&T Long Distance Building on 6th Ave. — built in 1930 and 1932, respectively — are considered two of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture, constructed during a time in which they towered over their closest neighbors.

When these buildings were built, they were incredibly disruptive in the neighborhoods around them. They were surrounded by buildings that were four or five stories high. The telephone company referred to them as “Urban Giants.” And that sense is really a part of what gave them their drama — a sense that they had come almost out of nowhere and ushered in a completely new era.

via Tim Hwang