Announced as early as 1919, the Woodlawn Exchange of the Southwestern Telephone Company became operational at midnight on July 14, 1923. Serving growing residential areas of the city’s north side, including the Alta Vista, Beacon Hill and Laurel Heights neighborhoods, its location within a mostly residential area made walking to work easy for employees in an era when most families were just purchasing their first automobiles. The facility was initially planned by the Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Co., which in 1920 transferred the deed to the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. The building’s design included battery rooms and a cable vault, locker rooms, an operators’ cafeteria and a grass tennis court on the adjacent grounds. Thirty-five operators were standing by to connect customers on the opening night. In 1936, the building was sold to Tobin Aerial Surveys. After training as a combat pilot in World War I, San Antonio native Edgar G. Tobin transferred his skills to creating some of the first aerial photographs for commercial purposes, including oil leases, land maps and property ownership maps. The company grew, operating a fleet of planes from Stinson Field in San Antonio. From their headquarters here, the company coordinated aerial mapping of large portions of the United States during World War II. In 1955, the building was sold to the United Cerebral Palsy Association (UCP). At this time, a hydraulic piston elevator was installed. UCP advocated for those afflicted with cerebral palsy and their families. UCP sold the building in 1963, and it was converted to residential use. The reinforced concrete building with multitoned red and brown brick has two stories and a basement. Its simplified Colonial Revival Style design includes stone cornice and entrance details, and double-hung and transom windows. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2022