ALHAMBRA
Old Exchanges: ATlantic 1, 2, 4 and 9
Also assigned to this office (Alhambra Main) was the prefix 283, commonly known as CUmberland. This was a Los Angeles Rate Area foreign exchange for Alhambra. What this means is that there were so many requests from businesses (and some residences) for a Los Angeles Foreign Exchange number, the company simply served those requests directly from this office with the 283 prefix and billed it as though it was actually part of one of the District Areas in the Los Angeles Exchange. It saved a lot of inter office facilities and work in provisioning for those requests.
AGOURA
Original Pacific Telephone and Telegraph office built in the late 1960s to relieve the Canoga Park office. Serves western LA and eastern Ventura counties.
ARCADIA
Old Exchanges: ATwater 6, DOuglas 6 and 7, HIllcrest 6 and 7.
AVALON
In 1920, Pacific Telephone and Telegraph (PT&T) installed a local radio-telephone system to connect the island with the mainland. Fifty-two persons were part of the initial subscribers to this service. Within a few years it was realized the radio didn't offer much privacy so PT&T installed two 23-mile long submarine cables to the island in 1923. A new central office was built in Avalon and the cables were terminated at the San Pedro central office. At the time, the cables were the first to be built in the United States and first to be voice-only. At the central office, a manual switchboard was installed to serve the island residences.
Over the next fifty years, various technologies of microwave radio were installed to supplement the two submarine cables.
Manual switchboard service remained until 1978, when Pacific Telephone converted the manual service to a 1.6 million dollar remote electronic switch hosted from San Pedro. This was the last central office in the entire Pacific Telephone territory and entire Bell Telephone system that was still "manual" when it was converted.
Remote switch now hosted by Torrance office.
BELL
Old Exchanges: SPruce 3
BEVERLY HILLS
Original office installed to serve the sparse Beverly Hills region during the 1910s. Office converted to dial in the late 1920s when part of the Southern California Telephone Company. New building built in the 1970s.
Old Exchanges: BRighton 0, CRestview 1, CRestview 3, CRestview 4, CRestview 5, CRestview 6 and TRemont 8
BURBANK 11 "MAIN"
Built in the 1930's to relieve North Hollywood. Slowly converted to dial in 1945 with the last manual service in about 1959.
Old Exchanges: CHarleston 0, 6 and 8, ROckwell 9, THornwall 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 and VIctoria 9.
BURBANK 13 "THORNTON"
Built in the 1960's to relieve Burbank Main and was the location for the original Lockheed Aircraft Centrex. Is a remote switch hosted out of Burbank "Main"
CALABASAS 11 "PARK SORRENTO"
Built by Pacific Bell in the early 1980s to relieve the Canoga Park office.
CALABASAS 50 "LAS VIRGENES"
Built in the early 1990s by Pacific Bell to relieve the Calabasas Park Sorrento office.
CANOGA PARK
Original Southern California Telephone office built in the 1920s and became dial pre-1940.
Old Exchanges: DIamond 0, 6, 7 and 8
CASTAIC
Originally built in the 1960's to relieve Newhall. Recently remolded and expanded.
COMPTON
Old Exchanges: NEvada 6 (Los Angeles Foreign Exchange), NEwmark 1, 2, 5, 8 and 9
CULVER CITY
Old Exchanges: ADmore 4, 8, VErmont 6, 7, 8 and 9 UPton 0, 1 (Los Angeles FX)
EL MONTE
Serves the dense portion of the San Gabriel Valley and City of El Monte. Became a dial office pre-1942 and during the Direct Distance Dialing hierarchy was a "Primary" office with direct trunk groups to the Los Angeles Sectional Office. In the early 1970s hosted foreign exchange service to Los Angeles to relieve Alhambra.
Old Exchanges: GIlbert 3, 4 & 8, FOrest 0 & 8, BUdlong 8
EL SEGUNDO
Type: Urban
Replaced the original El Segundo CO in 1999. Original CO had the Centrex service for the Hughes & Aerospace Complex. Also served as the Centrex for the Los Angeles AFB.
Old Exchanges: EAstgate 2, MItchell 8 and NIagara 3
GARDENA
Original office built in the 1920s by Southern California Telephone Company. The building on left side of picture added in the mid 1950s to relieve the "Plymouth" CO.
Old Exchanges: DAvis 3, DAvis 4, DAvis 7, DAvis 9, FAculty 1, MEnlo 4 and MEnlo 9.
GARDENA TANDEM OFFICE
Gardena Tandem was constructed in the early 1950's to be the tandem and toll office for the South Los Angeles/South Bay/Harbor areas of the region. AT&T is collocated here with other long distance carriers. This CO once had microwave service for the urban (local LA) long distance network. See for more information on microwave service. Had L-3 Coax cables to Anaheim and LA 03 Madison and Fiber to LA Madison Complex and Long Beach (GTE). 4ESS equipment was installed in April of 1993. Southern California Microwave Sites
GLENDALE
Old Exchanges: CHapman 5 and CItrus 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6
HAWTHORNE
The Hawthorne CO was built in 1950 to relieve the Inglewood office.
Old Exchanges: OSborne 5, OSborne 6, OSborne 9 and SPring 2
HOLLYWOOD
Hollywood was built during the 1900s and became dial pre WWII.
Old Exchanges: HOllywood 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9 HYperion and HUdson 2
ORIGINAL HUNTINGTON PARK OFFICE
HUNTINGTON PARK
Old Exchanges: LUdlow 1,2 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9.
INGLEWOOD
Original Southern California Telephone office built in the 1920s. Became dial in 1939. Remodeled and expanded in the 1980s (Note Pacific Bell "orange" accents.)
Old Exchanges: ORchard 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and ORegon 8.
LA CANADA
LA CRESCENTA
Old Exchanges: CHurchill 8 and 9, SYlvan 0
LOMITA
Constructed in the late 1940s by Pacific Telephone Company.
Old Exchanges: DAvenport 5 and 6
LOS ANGELES 02/03"MADISON COMPLEX"
See:Los Angeles Madison Complex for more complete information and additional pictures.
Old Exchanges: MAdison 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, MUrdock 3,8, TUcker, VAndike and ULrich 3
LOS ANGELES 05 "PLEASANT"
Constructed in the 1900s by Home Telephone Company and was the "Vernon" or "Central" Branch office, taken over by Southern California Telephone in 1916 and became the "Pleasant" office.
Pleasent was a remote analog switch but replaced with DMS-100 stand alone in 2000.
Old Exchanges: PLeasant 0,1,2,3,8,9, THornwall and TWinoaks
LOS ANGELES 06 "UNION"
Union was built in 1955 to relieve the Madison Complex and Rampart office in northwest Los Angeles.
Old Exchanges:
HUbbard 3, 4 and HUntley 1, 2
LOS ANGELES 07 "AIRPORT"
Los Angeles 07 or the "Airport" office was built in the late 1950s to relieve the Inglewood office from the telephone growth in the Westchester area and in 1960, to replace the "LAX" CO and take over service of the LAX Centrex system. This was one of the few local offices that had microwave transmission which connected it to the Madison Complex in Downtown LA, Gardena Tandem office and later to Topanga Ridge (See microwave pages.) Microwave service was retired in the early 1990s. Today the office handles the FAA circuits from LAX Airport and the high telephone traffic of the airport commercial/hotel area.
Old Exchanges:
MIssion 5, 6 and ORchard 0
LOS ANGELES 08 "MELROSE"
Old Exchanges: OLdfield 4 and 6, OLeander 5, OLive 1, 3 and OLympia 2 and 7 (Beverly Hills FX)
LOS ANGELES 09 "RICHMOND"
Richmond was built in the 1900s by Home Telephone and was known as the "South Main" office. Office had trunks connecting it to Olive Street (Madison Complex) and Vernon (Pleasant CO). Due to the growth around the city (high rises) these effectively blocked some of the urban microwave paths. Richmond was set up as a "relay" in the late 1970s between the Madison Complex and Baldwin Hills and Topanga Ridge. All remnants of the microwave structure have been removed.
Old Exchanges: RIchmond 1,6,7,8,9 and PRospect 6, 7
LOS ANGELES 10 "WEBSTER"
Old Exchanges: WEbster 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
LOS ANGELES 11 "RAMPART"
Originally built in the 1900s by Home Telephone office was known as the "West" office until becoming "Rampart" with Pacific Telephone.
Old Exchanges:
DUnkirk 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, EXposition, FEderal and FAirfax
LOS ANGELES 12 "NORMANDIE"
Normandie was constructed in the 1920s. Its 1AESS switches were replaced with DMS-100 digital in early 2000.
Old Exchanges: MOrningside 1, NOrmandy 1,2,3,4,5,6,8 and OLympia
LOS ANGELES 13 "PLYMOUTH"
Plymouth was built during the 1940s to relieve the "Pleasant" CO and serve the southwestern portion of Los Angeles city. Plymouth recently (2000) had its 1AESS analog switched replaced with a DMS-100 digital.
Old Exchanges: PLymouth 4,5,6 and 7
LOS ANGELES 14 "ADAMS"
Adams office was built in the 1910s to serve the southeast LA and Vernon areas. Note architecture of left building (original) and addition (1950s) to the right. Original still has arched windows and colored tile facade.
Old Exchanges: ADams 1,2,3,4 and CEntury 2
LOS ANGELES 15 "AXMINSTER"
Original Home Telephone Office (West office) built in the 1910's. Became a Southern California Telephone then Pacific Telephone office. Became dial in 1939.
Old Exchanges: AXminster 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
LOS ANGELES 23 "CAPITOL"
Built in the late 1910's. Converted over to dial in the mid-1920's.
Old Exchanges: CApitol 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6
LOS ANGELES 29 "SUNSET"
LOS ANGELES 34 "ANGELUS"
Original CO built in the 1910's by Home Telephone Company to serve East Los Angeles. Office enlarged and remodeled in the 1970's. Hard office to shoot a picture.
Old Exchanges: ANgelus 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9
LOS ANGELES 35 "MONTEBELLO"
Early office built by Southern California Telephone Company and became dial prior to 1942. Provided foreign exchange service to Los Angeles.
Old Exchanges: PArkview 1, 2 & 8, OVerview 5, RAymond 3 & UNderhill 0 (LA FX)
LOS ANGELES 38 "REPUBLIC"
Republic was originally constructed by the Home Telephone Company and known as the "Adams Street" office. Was expanded in the 1960s.
Old Exchanges: REpublic 1,2,3,4,5 and ROchester
LOS ANGELES 56 "CLINTON"
Old Exchanges: CLinton 4, 5, 6 and 7, CLeveland 5, 6 and 7