Alexis C. Madrigal, writing for the Atlantic:
Winston Churchill paid a visit to 140 New Montgomery in September of 1929, about a month before the stock market crash augured the Great Depression. He and his wife called the family back home—both a transcontinental and transoceanic call—and reported back in a letter that they were “thrilled and cheered by the wonderful experience of talking to our family across the enormous distance of land and sea.”
It was, before modern telecommunications, quite a treat to speak with people far away. It was not assumed to be possible, let alone nearly free.
The copper through which Churchill spoke stayed in the building until the recent renovation. Though it was not a major location within the telephonic infrastructure of the area, Joshua Callahan of Wilson Meany told me that the building as vastly overserved. There were thick cords of copper wiring running into the place.
Replaced with fiber optic cables, the copper was sold as scrap metal for recycling into new products.
This was a fun read. Lots of enjoyable anecdotes. It’s crazy to think how cities change with time.
San Francisco itself has been redefined more than many other cities.