Telephone Central Offices

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WASHINGTON STATE TELEPHONE CENTRAL OFFICE'S

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

AREA CODE 260

Original area code for the state of Washington when direct distance dialing was introduced to Seattle in 1947. When first introduced, the area code covered the entire state until it was split in 1957. Area was originally served by Sunset Telephone & Telegraph Company, then Pacific Telephone & Telegraph in 1917, was split to Pacific Northwestern Bell in 1961 and became USWest in 1984 after the divestiture. USWest became Qwest in 2000 and the current company CenturyLink in 2011.

DES MOINES


Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph office, built in the 1940s with Step-by-Step switching equipment.



SEATTLE 03 "EAST"


Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office.

Seattle 03 is a Tandem office using a 5ESS and hosts offices in the eastern and southern Seattle Metropolitan area as well as the Tacoma region (relieved the Tacoma Tandem office of tandem functions in the 2000s).


Microwave "Long Lines" service once connected Seattle 03 with Orting, Rattlesnake and Everett, while cable trunks provided connection to Tacoma and Seattle 06 "Main".



SEATTLE 04 "EMERSON"

Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office.



SEATTLE 05 "ATWOOD"

Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office serving Northwestern Seattle and Queen Anne areas. Once had "Long Lines" microwave service with connections to Gold Mountain, Mount Blyn and Enumclaw.



SEATTLE 06 "MAIN"

Original Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office The main tandem/toll office for the Seattle and northern Washington region.  The Seattle Main became a Sectional Office when Direct Distance Dialing was introduced to Seattle in 1957. As a Sectional Office (Class 2), Seattle had direct trunk groups to the Bellingham, Spokane, Yakima and Ketchikan, Alaska Primary offices. Seattle was connected directly to the Sacramento Regional Office. Prior to divestiture in 1984, Seattle also connected to the Tacoma and Anchorage, Alaska primary offices.

Inter-toll routes connected Seattle Main with Juneau, Everett, and Bremerton.

A 4ESS Switch was installed in May 1980, and the office was considered an international "Gateway" Toll Office with direct trunk groups to Canada and Alaska.



SEATTLE "CAMPUS"

Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office. As the name suggests, this office serves the University District and University of Washington.



SEATTLE "CHERRY"

Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office built to serve the Burien area and later SeaTac.



SEATTLE "DUWAMISH"

Original Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office Built in the 1960s to relieve Seattle West and provide service to the growing industrial area around Boeing Field. Also home to The Museum of Communications, an amazing collection of vintage telephone equipment and history including a working step-by-step switch and the only working panel switch in the world. 





SEATTLE "ELLIOT"

Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office serving a majority of exchanges in the downtown Seattle area.



SEATTLE "LAKEVIEW"



Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office serving Northeast Seattle, Ravenna and Wedgwood.



SEATTLE "PARKWAY"

Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office. Originally built in the 1920s by Pacific Telephone & Telegraph and later addition built to the left in the 1960s. Serves Southeast Seattle, Beacon Hill and Columbia City.



SEATTLE "SUNSET"

Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office. Serves Northwestern Seattle, Ballard and North Beach.



SEATTLE "WEST"

Original Pacific Telephone & Telegraph --> Pacific Northwestern Bell --> US West --> Qwest now Century Link office. Original office constructed in the 1920s with an addition during the 1950s.

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