Remaining Seattle Pay phones

[Westrex]

These are at Overlake Hospital, they're in a branch off the main corridor of the hospital. You can see right through the wall with the holes for more pay phones, so they might be taking the wall down or something, which might mean these phones will also go, but there still here for now.

[Westrex]

Found another working pay phone at the Sultan, WA police station. It can be seen with this link: https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8625302,-121.8135438,3a,15.1y,254.95h,82.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOuQrxffF4jsnG9NVwXqS0A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

Went to the pay phone yesterday. This phone does not accept dimes and also probably doesn't take nickels either.

[Westrex]

There is one working pay phone at the Washington State Fairgrounds. This phone is at the Sip Shop near the Gold Gate. The other pay phone is attached to the Blue Gate restrooms, but does not work, however this one does. Both phones are operated by Wimactel.

Similar telephones: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=27545.msg266812;topicseen#msg266812

[Westrex]

There is at least ONE pay phone (at least an enclosure) left in Seattle's Chinatown. I saw this phone enclosure while driving back from the International District. The phone enclosure is very heavily graffitied, so it may not have had a phone in it for a long while.

2011 (Phone still has pagoda top): https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5963006,-122.3251027,3a,15y,102.36h,80.22t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s7mJGdRYtRXYgqkYbKZMRtQ!2e0!5s20110601T000000!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu.

2019 (May have been the last year it had it's pagoda top): https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5962197,-122.3250536,3a,22.3y,33.06h,87.58t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sFFMrstPD8Xzlb2Er7giz_w!2e0!5s20190601T000000!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu.

2021 (Still looks like this, except has more graffiti): https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5963192,-122.3251087,3a,15y,115.55h,83.45t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sDqqn9Zd8vVTa3EQrWrbOyg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu.

[Westrex]

Here are photos of the phone (as of May 22nd, 2023):

Pretty sure I just found this phone on Craigslist.

Listing: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/atq/d/seattle-standing-bell-payphone-with/7672624069.html

Archived Listing: https://web.archive.org/web/20231014233646/https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/atq/d/seattle-standing-bell-payphone-with/7672624069.html

[Westrex]

Pretty sure I just found this phone on Craigslist.

Listing: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/atq/d/seattle-standing-bell-payphone-with/7672624069.html

Archived Listing: https://web.archive.org/web/20231014233646/https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/atq/d/seattle-standing-bell-payphone-with/7672624069.html

Almost forgot to add images. Here are photos of the phone on C-List:

[Westrex]

Here's a surviving pay phone at Noah's Grocery. I didn't have time to stop to check for dial tone, so I'll have to check it later.

Phone: http://tinyurl.com/t5wb5w9n

[Westrex]

There's a good chance there is a millennium pay phone with TDD at King Street Station in Seattle on the platform. Here's an image from Google Maps (from 2023) that shows the phone near points 3 & 4, the second photo is from the Payphone Project. It appears to be operated by Wimactel.

[Westrex]

Potential sighting on Admiral Way in Seattle.

Safeway Fuel Station (might still have phone in it and might still work, but I can't tell): http://tinyurl.com/p9bft3p9

[Westrex]

I went to Mt. Vernon yesterday, this phone booth is still there, although it's a bit janky and somebody has put red paint on the keypad (also kinda ironic that it's a Pacific Bell phone in a GTE booth). I also found another pay phone at River Rock Tobacco & Fuel (23704 13th Ave NE Arlington) while pulling in for gas (I've tried to contact Frontier Communications, about repair of this phone, but I haven't been able to successfully contact them yet). On the way back in Mt. Vernon, I found an old exchange probably from the Bell System era. Pictures attached.

The GTE booth at the courthouse in Mt. Vernon has been taken out, however this GTE 120C phone operated by Frontier is still at River Rock Tobacco & Fuel. It still will repeat "Error 4" when picked up, but it's still in good shape.

[Westrex]

Here are the locations and picture(s) of public telephones left in Seattle that still work (As of May 2023).

1. Woodland Park Zoo: Near Bear Parking Lot exit, attached to bathrooms.

2. University of Washington: Across from Lewis Hall, booth is graffitied, but phone still works.

3. Camp Long: Parking Lot, Qwest booth and Qwest phone, but operated by Wimactel.

(Attached is a picture of the phone in the University District and the Camp Long phone)

Here's an update on the University of Washington phone: All graffiti and red paint that was on the enclosure and the USWEST Communications signs was gone. The phone itself was working, and must've had the receiver replaced as there was another tied around the enclosure.

[Westrex]

Found another pay phone, this time it's at the REI Boathouse in Bellvue. The booth is from between 1960-1964 and was operated by Pacific Northwest Bell,because of the label above the phone, and the phone is from around 2000 or so. Also, pay phone users beware: apparently if you dial *89 for collect calls, Wimactel will ask the person on the other end to accept or decline the charge of $15 for calling collect, so it's cheaper to just spend 50 cents or a dollar to call someone, instead of calling collect.

Update on the phone in Bellevue: Even though the REI Boathouse has closed, the Northern Telecom Millennium phone and the KS-14611 booth that houses it are both in good condition. As seen in the photos, the booth has been around a long time as seen from the graffiti and booth labels, all though the Bell System inspection label has partially disintegrated.

[Kellogg Kitt]

That is an old Pacific Northwest Bell sign.

It is good to know that there are at least a few classic phone booths still in service.

[Westrex]

Went to the pay phone yesterday. This phone does not accept dimes and also probably doesn't take nickels either.

The GTL phone at the Sultan Police Station (515 Main St. Sultan, Wash.) is having some issues as of today (June 7th, 2025). There was some intermittent crackling from the receiver, but no dial tone. I suspect that the trouble is in the handset, hook-switch, COCOT board, or the ~6VDC battery hooked up to the board.

[Westrex]

A friend was doing some work at McMurray Middle School on Vashon Island and found this free phone. It's number is (according to caller ID) 206/463-8635.