topic Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be? in Home

Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

Mersha — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 04:51:59 GMT

Does anyone have any idea what the things are on the far right of the picture? The home is listed online as "for sale."

On the top, it seems to be an arch with wood underneath and the bottom, I am clueless.

What are they?

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

Snowpuppy — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 05:05:41 GMT

My guess is the recessed arch would have been to hold a telephone in that day.

The bench below seems to have been designed to fold up into the wall when not in use. You'd sit on the bench while gabbing on the phone.

All the rage in that day but the home appears older than that era so likely an afterthought. Telephones were once installed in common areas. The home may have been used as a boarding house at one time.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

Malcontent — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 05:29:58 GMT

The top part held the phone and the bottom held the phone book; usually there was also a chair next to it.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

BlueFinch — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 05:37:28 GMT

@Snowpuppy is right. I rented an old home years ago that had the same thing. A place for a phone and pull down seat. I used it, too.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

meallen616 — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 09:26:36 GMT

I thought maybe for a phone also!

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

shoppinpat — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 10:20:00 GMT

IN the age of dial telephones this was a pullout telephone chair. Homes of the era had only one phone located in a central location.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

On It — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:21:19 GMT

I remember the day the top piece (rectangular shaped) was installed in the hallway that led to our bedrooms. A telephone installer came soon after and we had a phone sitting on the top shelf. I feel cheated! We did not have the pull down seat. My mother would have loved that feature.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

Katrinka23 — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:24:08 GMT

We had such a shelf in our home which was built in 1941. Ours was in the dining room and the top shelf held the phone while the bottom shelf held the phone book. We didn't have a stool so you either used a dining room chair or with the long cord you could carry the phone and sit on the stairs.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

We rescue cats — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:34:59 GMT

A very fun piece of historical architecture!

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

Mersha — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 17:16:59 GMT

@Snowpuppy wrote:
My guess is the recessed arch would have been to hold a telephone in that day.

The bench below seems to have been designed to fold up into the wall when not in use. You'd sit on the bench while gabbing on the phone.

All the rage in that day but the home appears older than that era so likely an afterthought. Telephones were once installed in common areas. The home may have been used as a boarding house at one time.

@Snowpuppy Thank you!

I never saw one of these before. I would imagine phone conversations would not last too long as the chair looks very uncomfortable.

It is interesting the owners left this in the house to maintain the integrity of the home.

Thanks to everyone!

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

Sakuya — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 23:29:20 GMT

Hahahaha my guess was the top one was a niche for a sculptural art piece or something and the bottom looked like a laundry shoot!

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

KKWA — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 18:41:34 GMT

Also remember, you didn't talk very long because almost every call was a Toll. So every min cost more money. Calls were very short, no pleasentries.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

Trailrun23 — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:20:07 GMT

That's a telephone seat. The phone sits up on the shelf, when it rings, you bring it down and sit and talk. My grandmother had one in her house...it was built in 1937.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

ValuSkr — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 19:12:35 GMT

I would put an old-style rotary phone on the shelf just for fun / as an interesting item / conversation piece.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

Trailrun23 — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 19:01:41 GMT

We had a similar setup in the home where I grew up, but we had a small desk with a seat attached that faced outwards and a wall phone above. The pic looks like one of the shelves should have been attached to the seat.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

AuntG — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 01:47:08 GMT

Phone calls were short by necessity when you had five families on the party line.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

CelticCrafter — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 13:29:50 GMT

Someone will probably buy that house, decide that it's needs to be remodeled into an open concept floor plan and all that beautiful woodwork and detail will be torn out.

Re: Does Anyone Know What This Might Be?

AuntG — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 20:01:40 GMT

That would be dreadful @CelticCrafter.