Deluxe Telephone Niche

About a month ago (October 2016) I received an inquiry from Karen Henderson, the owner of a 1925 Craftsman Bungalow  in the Denver area, regarding whether I had ever seen a phone niche with a fold-down seat and back. I assured her I had not, and she was kind enough to share photos of her unique, folding seat assembly recessed into a wall  cavity (between two studs),  creating an almost prototype home phone booth (very similar in concept to a built-in ironing board cabinet).

When not in use, the seat and back are concealed behind two hinged, recessed flat wood panels below  a shelf for the telephone. (Photo 1)  A hinged cabinet above holds a telephone book (Photo 2).

Front View (not in use)

Phone Book Storage

In use, the seat and back fold down and out (Photo 3) , and are held in place by a woven cloth tether behind the seat back (Photo 4).

Front View (in use)

Side View (in use)

In 1925, when the bungalow with this feature was built, a telephone conversation would  probably still have been a relatively special event not taken for granted like today;  this is a great example of a creative millwork feature which facilitated the act of human communication. Thank you again Karen, for allowing me to share this.