Bit of Joy
An old payphone has been turned into a banana-inspired work of art.An old payphone has been turned into a banana-inspired work of art.
A former payphone on Riverside Avenue is now the Banana Phone, thanks to sculptor Mere Mason. | Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today

BIT OF JOY | Riverside payphone art

By Jessica Palombo
Published on September 9, 2025 at 10:43 am
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Apologies in advance for getting the song “Bananaphone” stuck in your head. But this piece of guerilla (gorilla?) public art next to Memorial Park in Riverside is too fun not to share. The repurposed decommissioned payphone is the work of local artist Mere Mason. She tells Jacksonville Today she’s setting her sights next on the payphone in front of Wendy’s right next to the Five Points not-quite-a-roundabout. For that one, she envisions converting its phone booth into a rainbow structure as a way of preserving the LGBTQ pride symbol next to the crosswalk where the state recently ordered a rainbow to be removed.

author image Editor email Jessica Palombo is editor of Jacksonville Today. Jacksonville is her hometown.

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