Maybe this seems like a dump question, but I just purchased this nice old wall phone and wondering where to hang it. Considering most everyone, back in the day, only had one phone, where would it have been in the house? My first thought seemed like it should be the kitchen, but perhaps the dining room or the living room?

The place to put your phone is the phone niche of course!


This is in our dining room. Of course a wall mounted phone like yours would also look at place in the kitchen if you have a convenient place there to sit and talk...

Telephones were often located in entry halls, desk stands, generally, but after 1920 the Bel System strongly recommended instead installing them in the dining room, for the dining room was accessible to the entire household, but it afforded some privacy, since it was occupied only a few hours of the day. Kitchen telephones were originally a country custom. The Bell system recommended a kitchen extension as a supplement to a desk stand in another room, such as a den or library, but suggested that the kitchen was inappropriate for a sole instrument, as it lacked privacy from the prying ears of the help. After the Second World War, with the almost entire disappearance of servants from middle class homes the recommended location for the telephone was once again the kitchen. Wall telephones were generally used in service areas and commercial installations. Your instrument would be appropriate for a kitchen, particularly if you have a similar desk set installed in some other, more private location.

UncleVanya wrote:Telephones were often located in entry halls, desk stands, generally, but after 1920 the Bel System strongly recommended instead installing them in the dining room, for the dining room was accessible to the entire household, but it afforded some privacy, since it was occupied only a few hours of the day. Kitchen telephones were originally a country custom. The Bell system recommended a kitchen extension as a supplement to a desk stand in another room, such as a den or library, but suggested that the kitchen was inappropriate for a sole instrument, as it lacked privacy from the prying ears of the help. After the Second World War, with the almost entire disappearance of servants from middle class homes the recommended location for the telephone was once again the kitchen. Wall telephones were generally used in service areas and commercial installations. Your instrument would be appropriate for a kitchen, particularly if you have a similar desk set installed in some other, more private location.

Awesome thank you for the information. It was very thorough. I have a similar Business Telephone I am about to mount as well as a Residential Voip phone and cheap voip phone

Thanks,

-Jim

Yes, great info, thanks. I decided to mount it in the dining room next to the archway going to the living room. The dining room is pretty much centrally located and is near the staircase going upstairs.
We get many comments on it since it's very visable as you walk thru the house.