At Long Last, Sadly, Phone Booth Removed Outside 176 MacDougal Street

Storied Greenwich Village Space —

It was one of the last holdouts in Greenwich Village. Sadly, the phone booth outside 176 MacDougal Street – former home to Shakespeare’s – has been removed. It’s hard to understand the removal of every last phone booth in New York City. For one, not every person in the world has a cell phone. On 9/11, cell phone service went out and there were long lines outside of the available phones on the street.

Now it’s gone.

Storied History of 176 MacDougal Street

176 MacDougal Street, one block from the park, has a long history as both a much-loved Village restaurant, Shakespeare’s, in the 1970s until the early 90s and then a much needed community laundromat, Hong Wah, which was sadly felled by a suspicious fire in early 2013.

In 2014, Spina Florist put down roots in the space, then switched up to Spina Bride. Now it’s Israeli designer Lee Grebenau’s Flagship store also under the aegis of Spina.

There was something nice about seeing that long time phone booth there.

Previously at Washington Square Park Blog:

176 MacDougal Street has Fire; Hong Wah Laundromat Closed – Will it Reopen? | Some History March 8, 2013

Latest at 176 MacDougal: Formerly Shakespeare’s, Then Hong Wah Laundromat, Victim of Suspicious Fire, is Now Spina Bride | Payphone Still There! July 6, 2016

Photos: Cathryn