| Name | BN858 Phone Shelter |
| Date | c. 1980 |
| Manufacturer | Benner Nawman |
| Usage | US Phone Booth |
History of the BN858 Phone Shelter
| Somewhat iconic and collectable, the BN858 was a compact telephone shelter manufactured by Benner-Nawman during the mid-twentieth century. Unlike full telephone booths, the BN858 was designed as a semi-enclosed unit that provided privacy and protection from wind and rain while occupying a much smaller footprint. This made it suitable for crowded public areas where space was limited, such as amusement parks, streets, and transport facilities. The model was part of Benner-Nawman’s expanding range of public telephone enclosures developed after the success of the early “Pacific A” booths in the 1950s. Shelters like the BN858 allowed telephone companies to install payphones more flexibly, particularly in locations where a full glass booth would have been impractical or too expensive. Examples of the BN858 were used in themed environments such as Santa’s Village in Santa Cruz, California, where the shelter was combined with decorative posts to suit the park setting. The BN858 illustrates the shift in payphone design toward smaller, more economical enclosures while still providing users with a degree of privacy and weather protection |
| Below- abandoned BN858 Phone Shelter in Rio Vista California, 2025. Nice example. |
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