Greg Wilkett, Fluor-BWXT President and CEO
PIKE COUNTY, Ohio -- April 11, 2023 -- Preserving history is just one part of the mission at Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth (FBP), even in the midst of demolition and environmental cleanup activities. Recently, employees made the call to save a Superman© telephone booth that had been used inside a pump house to create a quiet space for phone calls by muffling the mechanical hum of equipment running in the building. The glass-enclosed booth is like the one used by the fictional man of steel in movies and comic books.
On March 28, crews rescued part of site history for the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) program. The Superman© telephone booth was used to muffle background noise from equipment running inside a pump house during phone calls. It is one of two original full-size booths remaining at Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth (FBP). FBP Demolition Manager Mick Scott made the connection to preserve the booth for NHPA. From left, Scott, FBP NHPA Site Lead Marc Hill, North Wind/Leidos Telecommunications Manager Jeff Oates and Technician Aaron Cooper stand inside the X-540 general telephone building with one of the last telephone booths at the Portsmouth site.
With the pump house on the shortlist for demolition, the booth was in the way and at risk for destruction. FBP Demolition Manager Mick Scott made the connection to save the phone booth for the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) program.
“GTE phone booths were red in the 1960s and in the mid-70s, they were blue,” Scott said. “This particular booth had a plant phone in it that could be used by employees who needed to make phone calls while working in a noisy environment.”
North Wind/Leidos Telecommunications Manager Jeff Oates said the former X-630 Pump House had a similar booth that sold in an onsite auction several years ago. Vintage units like this one are selling on the open market for thousands of dollars.
NHPA Site Lead Marc Hill said the phone booth will be added to the NHPA collection.
“The telephone booth is now designated as an NHPA-based salvaged item, and is being held and maintained to preserve the PORTS Cold War-era mission story,” Hill said. “We are very fortunate to have employees who have taken the time to identify items for the NHPA program.”
Some phone booths in the U.S. are being rented out by companies as props for photoshoots and films, while others, according to a 2016 article in The New York Times, are being used as sidewalk Wi-Fi kiosks.
For information about Fluor-BWXT, please visit www.fbportsmouth.com.
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About Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC
Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) and BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) (NYSE: BWXT), two world-class companies with significant Ohio experience, formed Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC (FBP) to address the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) needs at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Portsmouth Site in Pike County, Ohio. Jacobs Engineering, another global leader in industrial and environmental projects, provides support. Fluor-BWXT employs 1,800 workers who bring unparalleled experience, insights, and lessons learned from across the DOE complex. The Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth mandate is to clean up the Portsmouth Site safely and compliantly, provide strong uranium stewardship and partner with local communities to achieve a sustainable economic future. For more information, visit www.fbportsmouth.com.
