06/23/2026
SPEAK!📞
It’s been over a decade since the last public pay phone was removed from the streets of NYC. Payphones were a fixture of NYC life in the 1980s and 90s, even appearing onstage in musicals like RENT, where Jonathan Larson included the real-life detail of the payphone across the street from his apartment, where friends could call for him to throw down a key. In our RENT exhibit, you’ll find this relic of historic NYC - don’t forget to pick up the phone to hear stories from original casting director Bernie Telsey.
📸: Emilio Madrid
Rent exhibit designed by Paul Clay
