History on Foot: Call Boxes
I’ve often walked by these fixtures on the sidewalk and wondered what they were. It turns out these are the old fire and police emergency call boxes. Based on some web research, they were first installed in DC in the late 1800s and were used up until the 911 system was established in the mid 1970s.
Around town, some have been transformed into colorful pieces of art as part of a restoration project called Art on Call. I’ve done some searching and haven’t been able to find a complete listing of the ones in our neighborhood. If you happen upon one, please leave a comment with the location and if it has been transformed into a piece of art or not.
Click here and here for more info on the history of the call boxes and Art on Call project, respectively.
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there is a black-painted call box at the SE corner of 9th and D streets and I believe there is one near the original site of Old Ebbitt’s at 15th and F that has been restored.
you might want to go to this website for some history of the call box cum art rejuvenation project that the Cultural Development Corporation originally tried to spur. That was less successful downtown than projected and in more recent years individuals have carried the banner in this part of the city.