From street level, Telstra’s Lonsdale Exchange building in the Melbourne CBD looks almost like a normal building.
However, if you glance upwards you see all 14 brutal stories of brown brick.
The building was completed in 1969 as a telephone exchange by Postmaster-General’s Department (PMG) and remains in use by Telstra today, having earned it’s place as one of the uglier buildings in Melbourne.
Footnote
Planning for the new exchange commenced in 1963.
The completely blank brown brick side walls are the most shocking thing about this bldg, towering above the historic bldgs either side. But I’ve heard some say they like it.
All brown brick, except for a row of windows on both sides at the 11th floor:
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.8134628,144.9579456,3a,57.6y,85.46h,102.87t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNZir6sVAXNyhonFz2wXYxQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I wonder what is special about that level?
When I worked there it was the cafeteria. The food was top class.
Back in those days there would have been plenty of hungry P.M.G. technicians to feed – unlike modern telephone exchanges that require far less maintenance and monitoring.
Beautiful on the inside.
The building was not built in 1963. It was built in 1969. I was involved with construction and commissioning of the electrical and mechanical aspects. At one point, an oil line ruptured in the boiler room on the 13th floor and bunker “c” oil escaped down through the building and externally down the north wall. I recall much about this building including the cafeteria which was managed well by Ruth Dixon. The building was fitted out over several years starting with the fifth floor. Jack Twomey was in charge of the installation team. The coat of arms set into the front wall was originally mounted on the Central Exchange on the same site before that building was demolished.
Thanks for the corrected completion date – on closer inspection 1963 was when proposals for the exchange were published.
Alan can you tell me if this was where the switchboards were, as it hold no memories for me, but it was 48 years ago. I worked there for about 5 months.
Thanks, I’m trying to so some research for a book for my family
Patricia
Patricia, I am assuming you are referring to the telephone switchboards?
This exchange was automatic crossbar and if I recall correctly the first stage of installation was located on the fifth and seventh floors.
A call centre type switchboard may have been built at a later stage.
The bulk of the floors were still empty when I was there. The row of windows Marcus refers to were on the cafeteria floor.
5th floor was the A ARM, 6th floor the B-ARM. Ron Langley was the Mainenance OIC. Alan, were you on the Insto team, surname starts with N?
Stephen, I was involved with the commissioning of electrical and mechanical services whilst the building was being constructed and up until 1972 as it was being fitted out. Regards Alan
I worked on the 11th floor as an international telephonist in 1975. There were two rooms, the first was where the afg boards were, and the 2nd was where the 10c boards were.
(Facade 3 sections left to right:)
Immediately behind the blank wall on the left is the front stairwell (and behind that is a lift foyer and 4 lifts), the middle 4 window sections are toilets (male on odd floors, female on even floors) and the right 4 window sections belong to a small office about 4 metres deep.
On the ground floor, right side is a huge two story high MDF extending ~ 3/4 of the building depth with a 2 story basement cable well beneath it. I wish I had a camera when I was there.