Monday, October 19, 2026 – Connecting the World: The Story of an Iconic Building
32 Avenue of the Americas
AT&T Long Lines Building
Monday, October19, 2026
Wikipedia
Issue # 1768
TONIGHT!!!
32 Avenue of the Americas (also known as the AT&T Long Lines Building, AT&T Building, or 32 Sixth Avenue) is a 27-story, 549-foot-tall (167 m) telecommunications building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Completed in 1932, it was one of several Art Deco–style telecommunications buildings designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker in the early 20th century. 32 Avenue of the Americas spans the entire block bounded by Walker Street, Lispenard Street, Church Street, and Avenue of the Americas (also known as Sixth Avenue).
The building’s ground-level lobby is composed of a corridor from Sixth Avenue to Church Street.[14][16] Both ends of the lobby are approached by entrance vestibules with two bronze revolving doors flanked by two bronze hinged doors. The Sixth Avenue side contains an alcove in its vestibule, which leads to an auditorium.[16] Three elevator-lobby corridors branch off from the main corridor at a 90-degree angle: the two corridors on the north side of the lobby each have a bank of elevators, while the corridor on the south side leads to a bank of four elevators.[17] The Church Street side of the lobby is supported by a series of piers along the center of the corridor, and contains two perpendicular bends, giving the lobby an “S” shape.[16] An elevator bank with two elevators is located on the southern wall of the lobby near the Church Street entrance.[17]
A white terrazzo floor with gray stripes extends through much of the lobby. The walls contain pink marble at their bottoms, above which are vertical ceramic tiles separated by red-tile pilasters.[16] The ceiling has a surface of mauve stucco.[18] The lobby also contains features such as bronze ventilation louvers and indirect-lighting fixtures.[16] Minor alterations have been made in the lobby over the years. On the Church Street side, the elevator bank used to contain two additional openings; throughout the lobby, signs and lighting have also been changed.[18] The lobby also contains an allegorical mosaic designed by Hildreth Meière, who also designed the interior of 1 Wall Street.[1][19][14][20] On the southern wall of the Sixth Avenue section is a tiled map of the world, measuring 16 by 23 feet (4.9 by 7.0 m).[16] The map contains the caption “Telephone Wires and Radio Unite to Make Neighbors of Nations”.[14][21][20]
The ceiling mosaic contains allegorical representations of Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa, connected by stylized telephone lines radiating from two female messengers in the center of the ceiling.[14][18][20] Asia is depicted as an empress with an elephant and tiger beside her, with a pagoda in the background. The representation of Europe wears a crown and holds a spear and orb while leaning on an Ionic-style capital; there is a Roman aqueduct, St. Peter’s Basilica, and Notre-Dame de Paris in the background. The representation of Australia is shown holding a sheaf of wheat, beside a sheep and a kangaroo. An Egyptian queen, depicting Africa, is shown holding a fan, with two lions and the Egyptian pyramids behind her.[18] The messengers in the center are flanked by an eagle and a condor, representing North and South America.[14][18] As a cost-cutting measure during the Depression, the ceiling mosaics were executed in a silhouette mosaic style, in which the outlines and details are made of traditional mosaic tile, and the interior areas are filled in with colored plaster. Meière had originally planned to decorate the ceiling with images of female telephone operators, but AT&T rejected those plans.[14] One of the female messengers in the center of the ceiling is wearing a stiletto heel, which may be a reference to Meière’s original design.[22]
The restored lobby with its long lined flooring
The Eagle Mosaic
The Condor Mosaic
Europe is symbolized by Notre Dame and the Vatican Dome
Australia is symbolized by Sheep and Kangaroos
| Asia is symbolized by Pagodas, Elephants and TIgers |
| TELEPHONE CONNECTIONS THRU THE WORLD WERE MADE FROM THIS BUILDING |
THE ANNUAL TRIBA EVENT IS COMING UP….STAY TUNED FOR REGISTRATION INFO.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
A crepe Snack at
Vive Le Crepe
70th Street and Lexington Ave.
A perfect spot to share with
Faith and Ingrid
CREDIT
Wikipedia
Judith Berdy
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
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