Southern Nevada Consolidated Telephone - Telegraph Company Building - Nevada Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The building that this Nevada historical marker resides in front of is one of many significant contributing buildings as part of the Goldfield Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NHRP) in 1982. The NRHP Nomination Form highlights this building's history and reads:

The Telephone & Telegraph Building is a single story stone structure. It is rectangular in plan and measures overall 60 feet deep by 30 feet in width 0 The front, or north) 30 feet of the building was built in 1906, and the rear extension was completed by 1907. The structure has a full basement containing much of the company's original wiring and relays installed in 1906. The well preserved interior, also dating from 1906; includes original fixtures, counters and telephone booths*, Sometime after 1917 the rear portion of the building, which originally functioned as an equipment warehouse, was converted into an apartment.

The exterior walls of the structure are built of rough, coursed stone and the main facade features coursed, cut blocks of white stone (quarried near Tonopah). The facade is accentuated by a darker stone band courses at the lintels and cornice. Three openings penetrate the front of the building: a central double door entry into the main office, flanked by a four light display window, and another entry door to the east. All are original. The building is well maintained with a high degree of original architectural integrity.

The Southern Nevada Consolidated Telephone & Telegraph Co. Building is significant for its lengthy association with the development of communications systems in Goldfield. Telephone and Telegraph lines were first extended from Tonopah to Goldfield in January, 1904. By the spring of 1906 Southern Nevada Consolidated had built this structure to house its office and equipment. In 1907 the building was extended an additional 30 feet to the rear in order to accommodate, a warehouse for telephone equipment. By mid-1907, with the community of Goldfield supporting a population of over 20,000 people, Telephone & Telegraph service had become an indispensable element of business and mining activity. In 1906 the town generated communication revenues in excess of $250,000. After the decline of Goldfield and for the next six decades this building continued to serve the communication needs of the area. Architecturally, the Telephone and Telegraph building exists today as one of seven remaining commercial and public buildings constructed of stone. It features a modest but well Grafted stone facade, and its original interiors, furnishings and telephone equipment still remain intact. The building possesses a high degree of integrity and is a significant local resource for both its important associations with Goldfield's development, and as a fine example of an architectural type once common in the business district.

Marker Title (required): Southern Nevada Consolidated Telephone - Telegraph Company Building Marker Number (If official State Marker from NV SHPO website above, otherwise leave blank): 242 Marker Text (required): This building was the communications center of Goldfield from 1908 until 1963. The Consolidated Telephone-Telegraph Company Building was one of the few spared by a fire that destroyed 53 blocks of the downtown area in 1923. Today, this building survives as an unspoiled expression of the work of turn-of-the-century craftsman, and serves as an example of the business life in the Tonopah-Goldfield area from the years when the mines were producing millions and bringing new prosperity to Nevada. From 1904 to 1910, the gold mines of the region boomed. With more than 15,000 people, Goldfield was the largest city in Nevada during that period, having four railroads and other modern conveniences. The town was damaged by a flash flood in 1913 and mining was in decline, so many people left the area. The fire of 1923 caused the remaining residents to leave. Today the largest employer in Goldfield is Esmeralda County. County (required): Esmeralda Marker Type (required): Metal Plaque Is Marker Damaged? (required): No URL - Website (optional): [Web Link] Other Marker Type (optional): Not listed Other Damage Type (optional): Not listed

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