MIDTOWN — These thrones are fit for a king.
Bryant Park's "luxurious" public restrooms officially reopened with nearly $300,000 worth of upgrades — including new floor and wall tiles, crown moldings and “plein air” paintings on the walls.
Though the Beaux-Arts bathroom was already said to be the “Tiffany’s of public restrooms,” three months of renovations “created a facility that rivals even some of the finest hotels,” Bryant Park Corporation’s executive director Dan Biederman said in a release.
When the corporation first restored the park in the 1980s, it “got some women together and asked them what they hated about public restrooms,” Biederman recalled at an official unveiling next to the bathrooms on Thursday.
“They hated washing their hands, and then having to touch things after they’d wash their hands,” he said. “They hated that men didn’t understand that there needed to be full-length mirrors in public restrooms, because women want to look at themselves after they’ve finished [using the restroom].
“[And] they said, ‘Why not make it cheery?’ So we put in flowers, music and artwork, which you’ll see,” he added.
The new restrooms still have self-flushing toilet covers, fresh flowers, classical music and full-time attendants, but are now equipped with temperature controls, LED lighting and and new “environment-friendly” toilet fixtures.
The new art that hang on the walls were created by the park’s painters-in-residence, the release notes.
“At Bryant Park, we strive for perfection and only settle for excellence,” Biederman said in the release. “This philosophy pervades every operational aspect of the park, including the restrooms.”
