Forgotten Chicago Sightings Forgotten Chicago Forum
Noticed something interesting? Let us know about it!
Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
captain54
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: December 01, 2009 04:57AM
Was in the lobby of an old three flat in Humboldt Park recently and noticed that someone had restored what looked like an old intercom system. It had a horn like device on a metal panel and a buzzer underneath. Did these things actually work? If you were trying to communicate with the person on the third floor, could you actually speak through, what seems like a long tube, and be heard ???? Around what decades were these things used?
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
WayOutWardell
(63.226.79.---)
Date: December 02, 2009 07:13PM
A relative of mine lived in a 20s-era building that, even in the mid 1990s, had a functional speaking tube and bell system. The apartment-side mouthpiece had a cap that would spring closed to keep out voices intended for the other units. Pretty neat. I used to see remnants of them a lot when I was younger but most were painted over or had trash crammed into the foyer-side mouthpiece, depending on the building.
Systems like that were used on ships for a long time, and luxury cars that had a divided driver/passenger cabin used them sometimes too (think Deusenberg, Packard, etc).
Systems like that were used on ships for a long time, and luxury cars that had a divided driver/passenger cabin used them sometimes too (think Deusenberg, Packard, etc).
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
captain54
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: December 02, 2009 11:58PM
great info...Way Out
also discovered that they were originally put in homes of the well-to-do to communicate to the servants between rooms. and pre-electricity versions had a whistle device on the receiving end to let the person know someone wanted to "page" them.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2009 02:20AM by captain54.
also discovered that they were originally put in homes of the well-to-do to communicate to the servants between rooms. and pre-electricity versions had a whistle device on the receiving end to let the person know someone wanted to "page" them.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2009 02:20AM by captain54.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
fleurblue
(---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: December 04, 2009 02:01AM
We had one of those intercoms in the two-flat I lived in as a kid. We lived on the second floor so when a visitor would ring the doorbell we would ask for their name through the tube. If it was someone we knew we pressed a buzzer that released the lock on the entrance hallway door. Eliminated the need to run up and down all the time. In later years the wood panel containing the speaking tubes were removed and plastered over, as were those in the apartments. We did still use the door lock buzzer for many years.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
(---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: December 06, 2009 09:48PM
Yes they work. I used to run TV service calls from the late 1950's and on. I used them many times to talk to the person in the apartement. I wonder if any body uses them today.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
SuperCFL
(---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: December 09, 2009 11:55AM
I've seen remnants of them in the foyers of many buildings, but I don't think I've ever seen a complete (let alone functional) example.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
davey7
(---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: January 06, 2010 12:11PM
The building I grew up in (A 1906 six-flat) had them, but at some point after conversion (in 1955, to co-op) the old mailboxes were replaced and the speaking tubes, which still worked, were sealed up. Some of them were chopped off and capped, but we still had ours in the hall by (right next to, in fact) the push button for the door release downstairs.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
liz
(---.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net)
Date: January 18, 2010 09:57PM
I lived on the third floor on W.Wilson for seven years we had an intercom.we were still using it until 1966.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
Artista
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: February 15, 2010 10:29PM
The 2 story 5 apt. brick building where i currently live was built in 1926. It has remnants of what use to be the same type of system. Also has the original narrow ironing board closets.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
222psm
(---.br.br.cox.net)
Date: February 16, 2010 04:21PM
The building I used to live in (built in 1922) had the narrow ironing board closets, in one of the upstairs apts. it was converted to a large spice rack "closet".
It also had the remnants of the intercom system.
It also had the remnants of the intercom system.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
Chipast
(---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: October 02, 2010 03:14AM
I wonder when in 1966 they were taken down??????. After Feb???????????. My birthmonth.
Re: Old Apartment Building Vintage Intercom System
Posted by:
celticjunker1
(---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: March 25, 2012 08:10AM
The large apt building at 104th and Wood still has them and they are operational.
