Pedestal with Gamewell Fire & Police Call Boxes

This pedestal was previously installed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and houses emergency call boxes manufactured by The Gamewell Company of Newton, Massachusetts. The unit was decommissioned and refurbished by Big Boy Toys Limited. It stands over seven feet tall. This call-box post is offered by the seller on behalf of the owner at no reserve in Edmond, Oklahoma.

In 1847, Dr. William F. Channing proposed a system for quickly communicating the existence and location of fires using electromechanical signals sent from numbered street stations to bell towers. Working with telegraph operator Moses G. Farmer, Channing developed the first practical fire-alarm telegraph system, which was installed in Boston in 1851 and first used in 1852. In 1855, John N. Gamewell purchased the rights to use the invention in the southern U.S. and acquired the full patent rights in 1859. The Gamewell Company began manufacturing fire and police signaling systems in 1866.

The unit is constructed from cast aluminum and cast iron, and the seller believes it dates from between 1922 and 1924. The piece was refinished in deep green with gold-tone accents using automotive-grade paint. It measures 86″ tall by 22″ wide by 22″ deep.

Four red lenses atop the post are illuminated by a bulb installed in a replacement socket and powered by a grounded 120-volt cord. An on/off switch is mounted on the back to control the light.

Two emergency call boxes are mounted on the post, each labeled “911.” Door keys have been permanently installed in the lock cylinders and serve as doorknobs.

The police call box has a hinged door and contains a black corded telephone, a notepad, and an internal panel that provides access to the electrical components.

Next to the police box is a fire alarm with a pull lever.