Banana Phone — Jacksonville, Florida | Jacksonville City Discoveries

What do you get when an old payphone meets a giant banana? A little piece of unexpected happiness on the streets of Jacksonville!

Located in the Riverside neighborhood, near Memorial Park, the Banana Phone is a playful public art installation created by local artist Mere Mason in 2025. What was once an ordinary, decommissioned payphone has been given a completely new identity — bright yellow, unmistakably banana-shaped, and impossible to walk past without taking a second look.

The idea is wonderfully simple: instead of letting an old piece of street infrastructure disappear, turn it into something that makes people smile. The familiar phone booth has become a small urban sculpture, combining everyday objects, humor, and creative imagination.

For Mere Mason, the project was also an experiment in bringing art into public spaces and finding ways to make it withstand Florida's challenging weather. But its greatest achievement may be much simpler: it gives passersby a reason to pause, look, and smile.

The Banana Phone is not a traditional monument to a historical event or a famous person. It celebrates something equally valuable in everyday city life — creativity, playfulness, and the ability to see possibilities where others see something forgotten.

And who knows? Perhaps one day, when someone asks, "Have you seen the Banana Phone?", the answer will be an enthusiastic "Yes! It's in Jacksonville!"

After all, not every memorable landmark needs to be serious. Sometimes, all it takes is a banana and a telephone.