Last New York City Public Payphone Removed

It's officially out with the old, and in with the new for NYC ... cause the Big Apple's last public payphone booth is unplugged.

Officials removed the historic gem Monday morning -- located on 7th Ave. and 50th St. in Midtown Manhattan -- and it was truly the last of its kind.

And, just like that, no one will be asking for a dime to make a phone call anymore. This marks the end of the New York City public payphone era.

There are still 4 full-length so-called "Superman booths" in Manhattan's Upper West Side -- and, as you might expect, they're essentially museum pieces ... where kids use 'em for Instagram photoshoots.

The city started taking thousands of payphones off the streets, across all five boroughs back in 2015 ... and switched them out for public Wi-Fi hotspots.

The Wi-Fi hotspots allow folks to have free Wi-Fi, along with free phone calls within the U.S., access to social services directory, transit and weather alerts ... and folks can also charge many of their devices.