100 Bradford Street, New England Telephone and Telegraph Company central switchboard, courtesy of Duane Steele and Mary-Jo Avellar.
Mary-Jo Avellar and Duane Steele, 100 Bradford Street, by David W. Dunlap (2012).
Provincetown had hand-cranked telephones until 1938, when 100 Bradford was built as the switching center for the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company, allowing customers to lift their receivers to summon an operator. Until 1966, 16 telephone operators stood by, greeting callers: “Number please.” After the town converted to direct dialing, this was briefly the Chrysler Glass Museum, home of Walter Chrysler Jr.’s collection of Sandwich glass. The Advocate moved here in 1975. It undertook an expansion and modernization in 1977, designed by John Moberg of Mobic Design-Build, with a newsroom, composing room, and two darkrooms. The newspaper was acquired by Duane Steele and Mary-Jo Avellar, who still live here.
Provincetown had hand-cranked telephones until 1938, when 100 Bradford Street was built as the switching center for the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company, allowing customers to lift their receivers to summon an operator. Until 1966, 16 telephone operators stood by, greeting callers: “Number please.” After Provincetown converted to direct dialing, this was briefly the Chrysler Glass Museum, home of Walter P. Chrysler’s collection of Sandwich glass. The Advocate moved here in 1975 and undertook an expansion and modernization in 1977, designed by John Moberg of Mobic Design-Build in Cambridge, with a newsroom, composing room and two darkrooms. (The presses were out of town.) 
A striking articulation of Greek Revival style, this house (c1840/60) is further distinguished by the orientation of its setback ell, which creates an appealing front courtyard. In the late 40s and early 50s, this was the home of Charles F. Ross, the superintendent of schools, and his wife, Marjorie Ferranti. It has rarely been used for any public purpose, though in the 1950s it served briefly as the summertime branch of the Boris Mirski Gallery. Mirski (1898-1974) had his main gallery at 166 Newbury Street in Boston. Tim Barry, the owner of Tim’s Books, 242 Commercial Street, bought this building in 2002. 
Napoleon E. “Gene” Poyant didn’t have much of a commute from his home in this Bradford Street house (c1840), tucked behind the old Congregational church next to Town Hall. In the 1950s and 60s, he ran Gene’s Bakery on the Commercial Street side of the church. The small plaza was one of the liveliest spots in town, especially after 1960 when he opened what he called a “French sidewalk cafe” — Café Poyant, surely one of the first in town. Poyant, who was from Acushnet, served in the Coast Guard during World War II and found himself stationed at Race Point, “where he acquired his first love for Provincetown,” The Advocate said. (“Gene Poyant Seeks Selectman Post,” The Advocate, March 4, 1965.) 
Two of the best known stores of the mid-20th century were the Men’s Shop, 
The fisherman Antone Santos (b ±1891) was living here in 1954 when he escaped serious injury in the explosion of the trawler Shamrock, under Capt. Antone C. Souza, at Monument Wharf. ¶ Updated 2013-06-01
(Former) Bryant House
Gulf Oil Gas Station
Cater-corner from the passenger depot, this house (c1900) was once owned by the New Haven Railroad and was the home of the stationmaster, A. E. Slade. It served as the first Fine Arts Work Center from 1968 to 1972, before the center moved to Pearl Street. Commercial tenants have included the Cheshire Cats boutique, Meetinghouse restaurant, Different Ducks restaurant, Tropical Joe’s restaurant (where the Kinsey Sicks played) and Cyber Cove business center. In 2006 the original section of the building was bought and restored by Neal Kimball of Kimball Residential Design. The building is reportedly haunted, said Susan Leonard, who works there.
Building Provincetown 