Great Northern Telegraph Company Building, Telegraph building in Huangpu District, China.
The Great Northern Telegraph Company Building at No. 7 on the Bund is a three-entrance structure designed in Beaux-Arts style with Renaissance influences that shapes the waterfront's appearance. The facade displays the careful proportions and detailed ornamentation typical of early 1900s architecture in Shanghai.
The structure was completed in 1908 and housed Shanghai's first telephone switch, making it central to the city's communications network. A fire damaged the roof in 1905, but the building was rebuilt and reinforced afterward.
The building represents how early telecommunications shaped Shanghai's connection to the wider world, allowing the city to participate in global information exchange through telegraph and telephone services.
The building sits at a central location on the Bund and is surrounded by walking paths and other historic structures along the waterfront, making it a natural point on architectural routes. Access is straightforward since it stands at a well-known address visible from other monuments in the area.
The interior featured a pneumatic tube system that rapidly transported telegrams between rooms, an advanced solution for efficient communication at that time. A lift manufactured by Smith & Stevens from London was another example of internationally sourced technology that made the building forward-thinking.
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