Michigan Bell Telephone Office on Vernor and Hart

Hello All!

First post here.
Back around 1969 I was working at a Michigan Bell Telephone Co. office that was locate on the SE corner of Hart and Vernor. I was wondering if anyone remembers this office? I worked there for about 1 year. Also, does anyone remember the pole climbing school that was located somewhere in Royal Oak that you had to go to to qualify for the job as installer? This was a very small office and yard but I had a lot of fun working there, a great bunch of guys. Pay was lousy but we had some good times. Back then the areas were separated by districts. Our district was called the Valley District and was bordered by Conner on he East, McDougal on the West, Gratiot on the North, and the river on the South.

The Lenox [[Valley) office is still there.

You might like looking through this:

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/63149.html

MikeM:

Thanks so much, great link. I remember sitting on a telephone pole for an hour while a cable assigner tried to find a viable pair of wires that still worked. Still had a lot of party lines back then due to a lack of quality cables. Still have my old test set.

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Originally Posted by dguy4evr

Hello All!

First post here.
Back around 1969 I was working at a Michigan Bell Telephone Co. office that was locate on the SE corner of Hart and Vernor. I was wondering if anyone remembers this office? I worked there for about 1 year. Also, does anyone remember the pole climbing school that was located somewhere in Royal Oak that you had to go to to qualify for the job as installer? This was a very small office and yard but I had a lot of fun working there, a great bunch of guys. Pay was lousy but we had some good times. Back then the areas were separated by districts. Our district was called the Valley District and was bordered by Conner on he East, McDougal on the West, Gratiot on the North, and the river on the South.

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The pole climbing school was behind the MBT garage on the east side of Campbell Road between Bellaire and Gardenia [[just south of 13 Mile). Checking Google Maps satellite images, it looks like the garage is still there but the pole yard is gone. I "graduated" from there in May 1973.

I worked on the west side, mostly in the Vermont, Webster [[Hogarth) and Kenwood [[Redford) exchange areas, first residential then later business customers. Spent some time loaned out to Ann Arbor and Dearborn. And yes, I too spent many hours hanging on poles trying to find and test good pairs. Back then it wasn't unusual to have upwards of 3 or 4 lines in some houses.

After the Bell System exploded in 1984, I wound up as a central office tech for AT&T Communications downtown at 445 State Street. Moved into management in 1994 and took an early retirement offer in 1998. The time I spent as a business installer was, without a doubt, the most fun job I ever had. Got to work on everything from old manual switchboards to full electronic PBXs.

I still have all my Bell System tools, including my pole climbing gear. I don't have any inclination to be up a pole on hooks these days. I get dizzy just cleaning out my rain gutters. :)

Did my time @ Royal Oak pole climbing school back in 1966. MBT was my first real job after HS. Remember we had to play catch with a baseball while up the pole as part of our final test. Worked as a station installer downtown in Woodward exchange. Serviced Cass corridor, Lafayette Park, and surrounding areas. Then in 1967 Uncle Sam sent me on trip to SE Asia. Didn't return to Ma Bell, but have good memories of my time with them.

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Originally Posted by catch22

The pole climbing school was behind the MBT garage on the east side of Campbell Road between Bellaire and Gardenia [[just south of 13 Mile).

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Gardenia is more or less 11½ mile Road. So, it sounds like the Garage was somewhere in the industrial space on Campbell between Gardenia and 12 mile.

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Originally Posted by 248lurker

Gardenia is more or less 11½ mile Road. So, it sounds like the Garage was somewhere in the industrial space on Campbell between Gardenia and 12 mile.

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Yes. Here's the Google satellite view: http://goo.gl/maps/1znMP

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Originally Posted by MikeM

The Lenox [[Valley) office is still there.

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That's the one on Kercheval east of St. Jean, across the tracks, right? It sure looks similar, and I always wondered why the Chrysler complex was seemingly built around that one building.

I know the old Michigan Bell building at Vernor and Hart was exactly where the Chrysler plant is now.

You might be thinking of the Detroit Edison Hart substation.

Homer:

Our graduation day at pole climbing school consisted of us going all the way to the top and driving a j-hook into the very top of the pole. Well, the natural tendency was to hold the hook to your right or left side and swing the hammer from the side. Well I guess it was funny to the supervisors on the ground watching all of us clinging to the poles for dear life as they swayed violently back and forth. They then showed us the proper way to do it by loosening your belt and leaning back. You then put the hook in front of you and used your body for a counterweight. Funny now, not then.