Help me find a phone booth around Milwaukee, WI.

January 1, 2009 5:47 PM

I need to find a phone booth in the Milwaukee, WI area - not a pay phone, but an actual booth. Is there a map/mashup online that lists US phonebooths, or do you just know of one?

Every year for New Years, I participate in a scavenger hunt with a large group of people. Every year we need to take a picture of a phone booth, and every year the winner has a picture of a pay phone. In the interest of accurate scavenging (and me winning the hunt next year), can you help me find a phone booth around Milwaukee or the suburbs west of the city? All of my searching only lead me to this booth, which is a bit far downtown for the time we have. A giant listing of phone booths would be amazing!

posted by niles to food & drink (9 comments total)

I don't have an answer for you, but I do remember a news news story maybe two years ago that said the number of operating phone booths in the country numbered only a couple thousand. It went on to say that the phone companies were actively removing them.

I'm rather impressed that you found even one.
posted by Netzapper at 6:07 PM on January 1

The restaurant chain TGI Friday's in our town has a phone booth in the bar area. Here's the address for the Friday's 8901 N 76th St, Milwaukee, WI 53223.
posted by JujuB at 6:12 PM on January 1

If the booth you linked to on the riverfront is too far downtown for your time, can you give a little more specifics about the distance to limit our searches?

I live in Milwaukee, and the only phone booth I can think of in the area is the one you have a flickr picture of. I'm not even sure that there's a working phone inside of it.

I agree with Netzapper, the majority of public telephones have been removed or are no longer functioning, let alone telephone booths that one walks in to. There might be some public payphones along 76th or in the "ghetto" along Capitol Drive.

Maybe there's one in the Safehouse restaurant downtown?
posted by yellowbkpk at 7:09 PM on January 1

I'm pretty sure that yellowbkpk is right about there being one in the Safe House. Your question is driving me mad. I've tried using google street to search places where I think there might be one, but I'm coming up empty and it's soooo slow. There definitely aren't any on Greenfield between 84th and 92nd.

If you're feeling up for a drive, or while you're out looking for other things, try Forest Home Ave. between 43rd and 68th streets, especially at the major street intersections (say 60th, 68th), but that's just a guess from a distant memory.
posted by drezdn at 7:16 PM on January 1

It's been a few years since I've been there but I remember one up in Whitefish Bay, somewhere around Hampton & Bartlett but I don't see it on Google street view...?
posted by mimi at 7:25 PM on January 1

It doesn't look like forest home has one...
posted by drezdn at 7:27 PM on January 1

I don't know Milwaukee at all, but in my head, (older?) hotels often have phonebooths in a series near the lobby, like here, not standalone. Though, those may be more likely to be downtown. And is Dicovery World too far for your needs?

2600 magazine has an ongoing photo collection of payphones in the world, but I am unable to find any in Wisconsin on their American set.
posted by knile at 7:40 PM on January 1

Er, this should have been in Grab Bag, not Food & Drink. oh well.

Netzapper: That makes sense. I know I've seen them in bigger cities, but even then not recently. Hopefully I can still find one for next year...

yellowbkpk: We always start around the middle of Brookfield, and usually meet up back in Waukesha. The time we have varies each year, so while the phonebooth I found would have been cutting it too close for this year, last year I actually would have had enough time to drive out there.

Everyone else: Thanks for the ideas of places to look. I'll be revisiting this thread come next December to prepare, so I'll definitely check those places out.

If anyone else has other locations, I'd love to see them!
posted by niles at 11:21 AM on January 2

If you need one this year, there are currently two phone booths with phone at the Andy's gas station on the corner of South 2nd Street and Holt Avenue

It's just a few blocks off the freeway too, so it's got that going for it, which is good
posted by drezdn at 11:54 AM on August 15