A Look Back: The Private Telephone Exchange at the Ohio Edison Building
When the Ohio Edison Building — today known as Ohio One — opened in downtown Youngstown, it represented more than modern office space. Like many prominent commercial buildings of the era, it was designed as a fully integrated business environment with advanced infrastructure for communication and daily operations.
According to the building’s original opening guidebook, the mezzanine level housed a private branch telephone exchange. At a time before direct-dial systems became common, incoming and internal calls were manually routed through a switchboard operated by trained telephone attendants. This system allowed tenants and offices within the building to communicate efficiently while connecting Youngstown businesses to the wider regional telephone network.
Recently, remnants of this original exchange equipment were rediscovered within the building. Though modest in appearance today, these surviving components offer a tangible connection to the technological systems that once powered one of downtown Youngstown’s most important office buildings.
The rediscovered hardware serves as a reminder that buildings like Ohio One were not only architectural landmarks — they were also centers of communication, coordination, and commerce during a transformative period in the city’s history.
Today, while the technology has changed dramatically, the building continues to evolve as an active part of downtown Youngstown’s story.
