Automatic Electric 183 "Space Maker"

The Automatic Electric Company (later known as GTE) was located originally in Chicago, IL. Their model 183 was most commonly called the "Space Maker" and was marketed as saving space in the new modern kitchen. It also came to be known by other names due to its many adaptations, such as the "Bar Phone". Anywhere you wanted to put it, it was small and didn't take up a lot of room.

The downside to the small footprint is the fact they left out the ringer. For a ringer, you need a separate bell box mounted on the wall near the floor. You don't need the bell box for the phone to work, but if you want it to ring you need one.

There are a few adjustments that can be made on this phone. The first is that the head swivels to various angles in a 180º span. The other is you can have the handset rest on either the left, right, or center position. You can see in the pictures I have moved the handsets around to the various positions. You can request a position when ordering the phone.