Dorchester Telephone Building Sold, Demolished

 

* UPDATE 10/2: This weekend was the last for the old Dorchester Telephone Building as earth-moving equipment brought the neglected century-old building down in a matter of minutes. Well-informed sources tell the Times that a new building is planned for the lot -- one that could potentially house up to four businesses. More information will be published as it is made available.

The old Dorchester Telephone Building -- one of Dorchester's most unique pieces of architecture and a central part of the town's history -- has been sold after years of neglect.

Several sources have told the Times that a local businessman agreed to purchase the building for $20,000 before it was even listed, but we haven't yet confirmed purchase details.

The telephone building is one of those few old buildings, anywhere in Nebraska, that elicits the following question from almost every out-of-towner: What did that used to be?

The structure, which stands on the northeast corner of the intersection of 8th and Washington Ave., was once the hub of communication in our community. 

Most telephones first came to Dorchester in 1905, when 247 phones were installed in town and the surrounding countryside. In those early years, switchboard operators were housed on the top floors of the old Longanecker Building, which sat in the current location of Tyser Welding and Repair.

By the late 1910s and early 1920s, telephone traffic and switchboard equipment were both growing, so extra space was needed for Dorchester's phone operators. In the late 1920s, the Dorchester Telephone Building was erected by Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph. The building was used for switchboard operators until the early 1950s, when dialing phones were installed in the Dorchester area.

Alice Nichols and Anna Simpson were the telephone operators in those early years of the phone.

As telephone operators became unnecessary in town, the building was eventually sold.

At least four businesses -- that the Times staff recalls -- have occupied the building since it was vacated by Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph: Guggenmos Insurance Co. (1950s and 1960s); Dean Rhode Insurance (1960s); Snip 'N Curl beauty salon (1970s); and a short-lived dime store (1980s).

The Times has not heard of any immediate plans for the building, which has fallen into serious disrepair -- although over the years, several area residents expressed interest in renovating the building.

Developing...