{"nrhp_refnum":"88002593","name":"San Angelo Telephone Company Building","other_names":["General Telephone Switching Station"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"14 W. Twohig","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Angelo","county":"Tom Green County","state":"TX","lat":31.461510547000046,"lon":-100.43664170699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-11-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story commercial telephone building at 14 West Twohig in San Angelo, Tom Green County, Texas, built 1927-29 for the San Angelo Telephone Company. It was designed by Lang & Witchell of Dallas and built by P.O'B. Montgomery.","why_significant":"The nomination cites architectural significance at the local level, describing the building as a good representative of Modern Gothic style that kept its original character despite two window alterations. It also reflects the growth of San Angelo's independent telephone system, organized by John Y. Rust in 1899, which became one of the largest independent telephone companies in the Southwest.","narrative":"Built between 1927 and 1929 at 14 West Twohig in San Angelo, this two-story telephone building was constructed for the San Angelo Telephone Company at a reported cost of $160,000. Lang & Witchell of Dallas designed it, and P.O'B. Montgomery was the builder. The flat-roofed structure is faced in smooth coursed stone above a polished granite base, with Modern Gothic detailing. Its symmetrical facade has five openings on each floor, a recessed Gothic arch entry with bronze doors and a grille, and hooded windows with bas-relief decoration. Inside, an ornate cast plaster ceiling by local craftsman Dwight Holmes remains intact. The building met rising demand for telephone service in a rapidly growing city. John Y. Rust organized the company in 1899 and led it until 1948, extending service to nearby towns, including oil towns. General Telephone bought the company in 1952, and the building still holds switching equipment. Only two ground-floor windows have been altered, so it retains its original character.","period_of_significance":"1927-29","architect_builder":"Architect: Lang & Witchell (Dallas); Builder: P.O'B. Montgomery","architectural_style":"Modern Gothic","criteria":[],"status_note":"Physical condition is good; the building still houses telephone switching equipment.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.367494-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/87/9701/40970187/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/88002593.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002593/e3f48e4dd3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002593/e3f48e4dd3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"25or6to4","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Angelo_Telephone_Company_Building,_San_Angelo,_TX.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">25or6to4</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Angelo_Telephone_Company_Building,_San_Angelo,_TX.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970187","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107323082"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/tom-green-county/san-angelo-telephone-company-building-88002593/"}