NEW ORLEANS — Crews began, on Tuesday, dismantling some of New Orleans' most recent historical landmarks of the 20th Century — payphone kiosks.
The city's Department of Public Works will remove the 77 payphones — 10 at a time — to be sold at public auction, thanks to a New Orleans resident who made a list.
When it came to figuring out which payphones to remove, New Orleans City Councilwoman Helena Moreno said one of her constituents did most of the legwork.
“This is the result of work begun by a constituent named Michael Burnside who documented countless broken payphones in all different neighborhoods and turned over the information to our office,” Moreno said. “I’m proud of the collaboration with the City to now remove this antiquated infrastructure."
The councilwoman said research shows the payphones are abandoned by the owner, meaning the unplugged phone booths can be removed.
Before you yell out 'That belongs in a museum,' city officials said they'll be available for purchase.
The first payphones to be permanently hung up will be removed from the Central City neighborhood. Those will be available to buy during New Orleans' public auction in April, a release said.
City Hall published a list of the payphones, but you'll need a cell phone for a selfie at these addresses — see list below.
Officials said the kiosks became more obsolete as more people began to carry cell phones, like beepers, disposable cameras, RTA tokens and other things that just 'ain't dere no more.'
New Orleans Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Ramsey Green called the $60,000 move "a big quality-of-life win for residents."
"This is a small project in dollars, but substantial in terms of the impact to people’s everyday lives,” Green said. “I am grateful to Councilmember Moreno for partnering with the administration to make this important project a reality.”
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