A steady stream of East Harlem residents inspected an alien-looking structure at Thomas Jefferson Park on Wednesday morning — a brand-new public bathroom.
The neighborhood park is one of five locations across the city chosen to pilot modular, prefabricated steel toilet kiosks, known as the Portland Loo, which come with a $1 million price tag. The initiative officially launched Tuesday aims to address a lack of adequate restroom facilities in city green spaces.
Park goers in East Harlem raised eyebrows at the cost, but many were overjoyed to finally have a nearby place to find relief.
The sleek structure, nestled between the playground and barbecue area near the park’s First Avenue entrance, features stainless steel interiors, a baby-changing station, automatic lighting, and slanted slats at the top and bottom for airflow. The louvers are also designed to “provide limited lines of sight” for park officials and law enforcement to monitor possible drug use or any other lewd behavior inside the stalls.
After years of relying on seasonal or temporary options like portable toilets, a park goer named Maria — known locally as Greeny — said she was more than happy to see the structure pop up this week.
“This is nice, I like that,” she said, pointing at the facility. “I couldn’t use the temporary ones. It was a disaster because they were so filthy and smelled. They never got cleaned, and the poop was overflowing.”
Antje, who lives on 117th Street and Fifth Avenue, walks through the park most days and was led by Greeny to check out the new loo. Both were delighted upon inspection.
“It’s wonderful,” Antje said. Recalling a recent ordeal trying to find a bathroom while dealing with a bladder infection, she added, “This place needed it.”
“I went to the swimming pool in the park and really had to go, but they wouldn’t let me use the bathroom,” she said. “So I think $1 million is worth it to have this now.”
Carmen Stone, who visits the playground regularly with her grandchildren, said the restroom is long overdue.
“I’m diabetic, so when you gotta go, you gotta go,” she said. “We used to walk over to Costco just to use the restroom. They had a porta-potty here, but it wasn’t reliable. They should have one of these [Portland Loos] in every park.”
Toilet price tag leaves many feeling flushed
But while many residents were happy to see the long-awaited amenity arrive, not everyone was sold on the price tag.
Courtney, 36, a Navy service member currently stationed in Virginia, grew up near the park and still visits frequently when off duty. He welcomed the convenience but questioned the cost.
“It’s good that it’s here — usually we’d have to run to someone’s apartment to use the bathroom,” he said. “But let’s be real: it’s definitely not a million-dollar bathroom.”
City officials said the high cost stems from construction and the installation of new utility lines. Each kiosk cost $185,000 and were built in Portland, Oregon, where the modular design originated in 2008.
Evan Madden, CEO of Madden Fabrication, the company that manufactures the Portland Loos, previously told amNY that the five sites in New York City had some of the most expensive installation costs among the 250 Loos across North America. Still, they cost about one-third as much as traditional public restrooms and can be installed faster through the Department of Design and Construction’s Design-Build initiative, which aims to cut delivery times for public projects
Jean Marc, who lives a couple of blocks from the park, was cooling off in the shade during a walk with his newborn daughter when he noticed the bathroom was finally open. He said he’s glad to no longer have to plan out where he’ll answer nature’s call.
“I don’t really understand money these days — look at the price of everything — but it doesn’t seem shocking,” he said. “But I don’t think they should be sparing any expense on a public amenity like this.”
“I like that it has airflow and seems a lot safer than the brick-and-mortar style bathrooms in other parks,” he added.
Diana Altamirano, who lives in Astoria, comes to the park when visiting her mother, Aleyda Lozano, who lives an avenue away.
“I’m glad they finally did something,” Altamirano said. “It was always a problem, we’d have to leave the park and go home just to use the restroom.”
“This is a good investment, if they keep it clean,” Lozano added.
Loo stuck in the mud in Brooklyn
On Wednesday afternoon, in Brooklyn’s Irving Square Park, the Portland Loo saw similar traffic but was not faring as well in terms of cleanliness. The manufacturer recommends the stalls be cleaned about 2-5 times a day.
When amNewYork visited the loo, which has been opened to the public for a few weeks, the drain at the center of the kiosk’s concrete floor was clogged with mud, creating swamp-like conditions around the toilet.
Sitting on a bench near Bushwick’s new loo, Rishi and Akhil’s jaws dropped in unison when they heard it cost $1 million. They questioned why the city opted for the Oregon-based company and hoped it would be kept cleaner as the pilot continued.
Jesse and Sean, two stagehands lying on the grass nearby, offered to take over any future rollout plans.
“I could f—ing build that,” said Sean. “Give me $50,000. I could get three carpenters together and two welders from my other job and build that in three days.”
“We’d be happy with $50,000 — it would change my life,” Jesse joked.
Despite sticker shock, some residents said the benefits outweighed the cost. Clint, a local who has yet to use the new loo, said public urination has been a frequent issue in the area.
City officials say the Portland Loos are permanent installations that support their goal of building 46 new public restrooms by 2029. If properly maintained, the manufacturer estimates each unit has a lifespan of up to 10 years, with annual upkeep costs ranging from about $12,000 to $14,000.
The city plans to evaluate the pilot program’s success before expanding the Portland Loos to more public restroom deserts across the city, though officials would not specify how long the evaluation period will last
For now, park goers are glad to see the city’s bathroom drought being addressed — even if the new loos don’t look like a million bucks.
The city’s other Portland Loos can be found at Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx, Hoyt Playground in Queens, and Father Macris Park in Staten Island.
