Anyone work at the AT&T buildings in downtown?



I think the building exteriors at street level are really poorly cleaned and maintained. No beautification at all. What's the deal?

Blame it on St. Louis Country Club.

You should try going inside sometime. Most of the lights are out in the lobby. Reports from an AT&T employee friend said that when AT&T still owned the building they actually unscrewed every other light to save money (no joke). I am all for saving energy, but how do they expect their employees to feel valued (arguably translating into productivity) if their workspace is so dismal. Now that the building has a new owner I understand it is no better. And yes, the exterior is pathetic. The company seems to see it as just a big outdoor smoking lounge and a drop-off for the Indian food caterer to deliver lunch to the contract employees from overseas. Too bad those people don't get out more often to enliven the street and patronize the local restaurants.

Anyone know how many SBC/AT&T employees are still in St. Louis? Just curious.

Cityboy wrote:You should try going inside sometime. Most of the lights are out in the lobby. Reports from an AT&T employee friend said that when AT&T still owned the building they actually unscrewed every other light to save money (no joke). I am all for saving energy, but how do they expect their employees to feel valued (arguably translating into productivity) if their workspace is so dismal. Now that the building has a new owner I understand it is no better. And yes, the exterior is pathetic. The company seems to see it as just a big outdoor smoking lounge and a drop-off for the Indian food caterer to deliver lunch to the contract employees from overseas. Too bad those people don't get out more often to enliven the street and patronize the local restaurants.

They did "de-lamp", thank goodness. It was like an operating room in here. Most of the lights that were turned off were next to windows, like mine. I don't miss them.



It is a big outdoor smoking lounge, for sure. Shall they tell employees to go into the Serra sculpture to smoke? "Those people" are outside enlivening the streets far more than the residents of downtown are on a weekend day, I'm sure of that. How do you know they don't patronize restaurants (particularly Gregorys..)?



Why is having an Indian caterer selling food bad? Should we also deride the hot-dog vending guy by Macy's?



Anyway, about the exterior, what in particular don't you like? I can put in web request to building services if something specific is wrong. One thing they have not done..in years..is clean the windows. Other than that and the homeless urinating under the covered part of the data center, there isn't a whole lot that I notice daily.

I noticed a remarkable difference from when I worked next door in the early 1990s.



This may simply be a difference in expectations but usually, a very large corporation like AT&T invests in the appearance of their buildings. A few items:



Lots of damaged sidewalk material and exterior stonework

Dead or dying plant material

Uncared for landscape

Dirt encrusted windows



Don't they ever powerwash the common public areas?



Lack of:

plant material and flowers



Maybe a letter should go to the Missouri pres Cindy Brinkley? I would think she'd be embarrassed amoung her peers.

bprop wrote: "Those people" [smokers] are outside enlivening the streets far more than the residents of downtown are on a weekend day, I'm sure of that. How do you know they don't patronize restaurants (particularly Gregorys..)?

Agreed. And I bet they are going to Gregory's because that is the smokiest place Downtown.

bprop wrote:Why is having an Indian caterer selling food bad? Should we also deride the hot-dog vending guy by Macy's?

As you point out they are a caterer -- not a street vendor. Two very different things! I love Indian food and I love street vendors.



When I worked downtown I frequented Curry in a Hurry OFTEN. I am just sorry that what seems to be a significant population of the building has their lunch trucked in to eat inside as opposed to getting out and participating in the life of the street more often. It's their choice, I just wish it were different.



My AT&T friend also reported that in his 10+ years there the windows have NEVER been washed. It's very obvious from the steet level. You'd think they would at least keep up with the dust and cobwebs encrusting the building. Just a simple power wash now and again.

Ten years is a bit of a stretch; five would be a little more accurate, but it hardly matters...they are a bit of a mess.



I guess I don't see the point about people "getting their food trucked in"...particularly when you classify a "significant population of the building". Of the thousands that work there, how many do you think eat from Govinda's? With the quality of Curry in the crapper, what nearby vegetarian alternatives are there particularly for the large Indian population in the complex.



I also take issue with the characterization of downtown workers (particularly ATT) not particpating in the life of the street more often. As I alluded to, there have been plenty of weekend days that I have been able to walk six blocks down the middleof a major street (Pine, Olive, Locus) and not see a single downtown resident participating in the street life, either as pedestrians or as drivers, surprisingly. On a similar six-block stretch during the week, I would count dozens if not hundreds of ATT employees.

they just need to worsh it.

The old and "new" towers aren't bad, but the lower level of the data center looks like crap. That's the only building I have an issue with as the windows are dirty and the lobby look abandoned.



bprop, since you're on the inside can you tell us if the data center building is still used?

Yes, very much so. The lower level, though, contains an auditorium, some meeting rooms, and not much else. Only one entrance is used because security needs to be present to check IDs. Therefore, the hallway on the north sided of the auditorium is not used other than as a gallery for some artwork, so appears empty from the covered area outside the building.



I actually find the public sidewalk on the north side of that building very pleasant and attractive with all the trees and places to sit. The covered sidewalk is used as a toilet, but I wouldn't necessarily blame that on ATT. THe south side is pretty bland but faces the empty lot across the street.



One thing I do wonder is why there doesn't appear to be any interest in the other corner shops. The Stand on the northeast side runs a very crowded business; it seems like something could be successful in one of the other little retail spaces.

Anyone know how many SBC/AT&T employees are still in St. Louis?

I heard there are MORE now than there were when it was SBC's headquarters. I heard that from a political figure who would more than likely know. Does anyone else know for sure?



I know they recently remodeled the front steps of the tall tower, but the whole area around the base, and lobby inside, could use a good cleaning/ powerwash. Indian delivers? MMMM from where?

JCity wrote:

Anyone know how many SBC/AT&T employees are still in St. Louis?

I heard there are MORE now than there were when it was SBC's headquarters. I heard that from a political figure who would more than likely know. Does anyone else know for sure?



I know they recently remodeled the front steps of the tall tower, but the whole area around the base, and lobby inside, could use a good cleaning/ powerwash. Indian delivers? MMMM from where?

I think there are about the same number of people that were there before the rebranding. There was a big to-do about ATT hiring a few people in St. Louis when they made the decision to keep Yellow Pages HQ in STL after the Bell South merger--but most of the new jobs are sales reps that will be based in the county. There might be a few new people who have transfered in from Bell South--but probably not a significant number of people.



I work for AT&T downtown too BTW. And I leave the building twice a day and eat out often at local restauants. I've been there 6 years now and downtown has changed quite a bit since I started there. I'm just glad there are more choices for lunch now.



One thing I wish they would do is let the stores on the first floor of OBC create outside street facing storefronts. The lobby is designed somewhat like an indoor mall, which is probably why they can't seem to keep the retail space rented in it for very long. I think the design is a reflection of the time it was built, the 80's when indoor malls were all the rage,

I work there too, searching shows some 7K ppl working in 63101.. not counting anyone w/o a desk..



I believe the indian food served in the cafeteria is from Tandori Hut on S. Hampton, but I could be wrong. whereever it comes from its a much better deal than Curry in a hurry, i hate that place, terrible service, overpriced.



The lobby is a glass atrium, i dont think there are lights the place is pretty gross though, they haven't washed the windows in like 10 years, carpets are stained, pretty dusty, etc.. the old building and the data center are much cleaner inside.



The datacenter is a bit strange I agree.. it's designed to be fortresslike for security reasons.. now why you would choose to build it in downtown I have no clue.. but its a real shame they can't do something better with the ground floor.. the perimeter hall with the filthy windows is totally unused. they could easily convert it & all the perimeter conference rooms into exterior facing storefronts, under the overhang, that would be awesome, but i get the sense the building mgmt ppl are in extreme money harvest mode, and not thinking too far outside the box.



Just saw Bill's comment, I agree the stores in the main building would also do much better if they faced out.



feel free to hate on AT&T all you want, but there are plenty of urbanists working there, many who live downtown also, and mucho retail $ spent.



.. looking forward to smoking in my new sculpture garden

As I stated earlier, it's not just Indian food and definitely not Tandoori Hut.

Govinda’s is not only one of St. Louis’ few purely vegetarian restaurants, with a moderately sized by tasty buffet -- it’s also the hub of the Hare Krishna community in the St. Louis area.