WHERE HAVE ALL THE PHONE BOOTHS GONE? LONG TIME PASSING - techno culture

UNCONVENTIONAL
                                ARCHITECTURE MEETS
                                 TECHNO CULTURE
                 WHERE HAVE ALL THE PHONE BOOTHS GONE?
                           LONG TIME PASSING.
 Remember payphones? Those boxes with the word “TELEPHONE” sprawled out in white letters that stood on
                             nearly every corner of the country’s cities?

With the payphone essentially gone from the face of the earth, I figured I'd take a look at the long journey
 payphones took from being the greatest invention of its time to ultimately being rendered useless---until
 some innovative architects repurposed them. But, for now, let's take a look at their illustrious history.
        So, you think it was Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone? Big surprise....NO!!!

                              Here’s the story according to the Library of Congress
 1849: Italian immigrant Antonio Meucci began developing the original concept of the telephone. Years later,
in 1871, he filed a caveat, announcing his invention, but was unable to renew his caveat because of money
problems.
 1876: Enter Alexander Graham Bell. You know him, the guy credited with the invention. Well, to be fair, Bell
did officially receive a patent for the phone in 1876. (Although, technically his lawyer did.) Here’s where
things get even more interesting. According to the Library of Congress, Elisha Gray, a professor at Oberlin
College, applied for a caveat the same day as Bell. However, Gray's lawyer didn’t make it to the U.S.
Patent Office before Bell’s lawyer. Thus, the telephone was invented. And, although it was mostly used by
wealthy people for private use, it changed the future.
1889: The first payphone was installed by inventor William Gray (son of Elisha Gray!) who [believe it or not]
also invented a new inflatable chest protector for catchers in baseball a few years before.
developer George A. Long and Gray installed the first payphone "Cabin" at a bank in Hartford, Connecticut.
Legend is, Gray came up with the idea after nobody would let him use their phones to call the doctor to
help his ailing wife.

          Antonio Meucci          Elisha Gray           Alexander Graham Bell          William Gray
 WRITTEN BY BRIGITTE SCHWARTZ

A SUBCULTURE HAS STARTED WITH THIS URBAN RELIC. TA-
DA! PAYPHONE-OGRAPHY ! YES, THERE'S A CULT FOLLOWING
OF THIS EARLY FORM OF MECHANICAL COMMUNICATION. ONE
SUCH SPEARHEAD OF THIS CAMPAIGN THAT WANTS TO
ENSURE THAT THE PAYPHONE IS NOT FORGOTTEN IS RYAN
STEVEN GREEN. BORN AND BRED IN GLENDALE, CA, HE
MAKES ARTFUL DOCUMENTARIES FOR FUN --- AND
COMMERCIALS THAT ENABLE HIM TO EAT, OR HAS HE PUTS IT
"TO AFFORD NEW UNDERWEAR." ONE OF HIS PAYPHONE
DOCUMENTARIES THAT CAUGHT MY EYE IS OF ANOTHER
PAYPHONE-A-PHILE WHOSE NAME IS PENTABO CLORTINO. HE
MAINTAINS THE ACCOUNT @SCREWYBLOOMS ON INSTAGRAM .
AND TRANSFORMS EYESORE PAYPHONES THAT LOOK LIKE
THIS ...

WRITTEN BY ARABELLE ALEJO

                     ...Into this

Take a look at Green's Video of Screwyblooms
creations HERE. OK --- so, admittedly, it's not as
impressive as chris burden's urban light at lacma --
-but it's better than being a trash depository!
Imagine my surprise when researching this
phenomena to discover a very hip architectural
firm, based in shanghai, that is converting,
repurposing and beautifying the cities of china
by reinventing all forms of the payphone to
 not just be amazing architectural art, but to
also update its usefulness and purpose!

Then and now

           100Architects was commissioned to design, produce and revamp
          old phone booths on Yuyuan Road, a very historic road in Shanghai.
                     So, you might be asking yourself, "but why?"
                       Well, I'll start by telling you "why Not?"
It's definitely not for clark kent to transform into superman as he did in early comics:

As a humorous sidenote, A 1978 Superman film pays an homage to this trope by having Superman
pause by one of the smaller telephone kiosks (more common in the 1970s) and glance at it, before
                        running off to transform off screen. see it here

Here's what 100Architects came up with to reinvigorate the urban function of the phone booth with
                    many different designs (depending on the original Booth.)

     Free wifi connection, free USB charging sockets, sitting arrangement, newspaper rack, coffee table,
    reading lights at night and an emergency public phone are among the new features of these revamped
   phone booths. They turned them into something more useful for current society and its lifestyle: urban
     mini capsules! As in the past, they have an emergency phone to make calls, provide shelter for the
     person using it--- and a semi-enclosed space to provide a sense of privacy. We still can use them for
  these attributes! Do we really want to be voyeurs and hear a stranger's conversation as we walk down
                                      the street --- or in an office or store?

 Every major city in the world had a network of public phone booths. however, with the advent of
 the mobile phone, there was no need and, sadly, they became urban trash bins, public toilets, or
                                    drop zones for drug deals.

Not surprisingly, the phone booth is making a comeback in the age of open office design and co-working
   space. This time around, though, the booth is fancier and more comfortable than its predecessor, and it
                                           doesn’t sit on a sidewalk.

Forget waterfront offices, what
about an office literally on the
water? Remote work and flexible
lifestyle have seen a boom thanks
to the pandemic which has led to a
lot of innovative designs like this
floating office pod which is a low-
impact concept offering the best
of views with maximum privacy for
focus.
In the future, you will find
Enclaves floating on the Vistula
River with the Wawel Castle as the
backdrop. Designer Agnieszka
Białek who made this zen office pod
is a graduate of the Academy of
Fine Arts in Kraków, Poland.

just to add a little levity (but 100% for real) here is a
                   Telephone Booth that is currently being made right here in the USA!

                                                 See it HERE !
                          The future is here --- and, sometimes, that's a good thing!
  take a look at the design that 100architects proposed for New York City's Times Square when they were
asked to explore the possibilities of inserting public functions and environments typically associated with
   urban parks. Basically, turn the Square into a more livable and enjoyable space with a strong urban
                                                  character.

The first 2 platforms would be dedicated to Kids recreational areas, such as Playground in the 1st platform and a Balls
    Pool in the 2nd platform. The next couple of platforms would be intended to host the functions related to public
          relaxation & green areas, with a Hammock Plaza in the 3rd platform, and a Sky Garden in the 4th one.
And finally, the top 2 platforms would host the F&B commercial areas, with a Restaurant on the 5th platform and a Sky
                                             Bar on the top 6th platform.

"Vertical Times" is a project calling for an exploration of new ways of thinking and understanding urban public spaces,
                               and the new roles they will play in future cities. Very cool!