In our century
Should cities provide public restrooms? Should they be free or paid? Where should they be placed? What amenities should they include? Those were among the questions raised in an article in the August 1914 edition of The American City by Donald Armstrong, acting director of the Department of Social Welfare, New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor. “Public Comfort Stations: Their Economy and Sanitation” described a variety of restroom facilities cities had constructed to improve the sanitary conditions in public places and offered ideas for their management.
For instance, the New York Department of Public Works operated nine free comfort stations in Manhattan in 1912 and spent $52,000 annually on their operation. In Baltimore, one-third of the city’s public restrooms charged a fee for use. Visitors paid five cents for a private compartment with toilet, washstand, soap and mirror. The fees covered a portion of the city’s expenses in operating the facilities. Other cities made small profits from charging for use of public facilities, and some generated revenue from granting space to concessions, such as telephone booths, boot-black stands and parcel rooms.
The author noted a mistake that many cities made by neglecting to put public restrooms where they were most needed, which, at the time was in congested tenement sections and busy trucking centers. He suggested small, low-cost, low-maintenance facilities would meet the needs of the people in those areas and improve sanitary conditions.
To ensure the facilities help prevent the spread of germs, Armstrong suggested removing handles from doors and replacing them with locks that could be operated with a foot. He also reports the results of a survey in New York that found public restroom visitors were more likely to wash their hands if individual towels, hot and cold water, and mechanical soap dispensers were provided. “The wider extension of these provisions is to be urgently recommended to all American municipalities if the public decency as well as the public health is to be maintained,” he wrote.
Previous “In our century” Stories
- In our century — December 1914
Cities begin the tradition of decorating enormous public Christmas trees to celebrate the holidays - In our century — June 1910
Government accounting methods and reports mature from vague and incomplete records to standard formats. - In our century — October 1909
Investigations into corruption and mismanagement lead to (some) reforms in government policies and operations. - In our century — January 1913
Cities experiment with road surfaces and set out methods for funding road construction and maintenance. - In our century — September 1909
Limits on outdoor advertising are set through cities’ hard-fought battles over billboard sizes, messages and locations. - In our century — August 1911
Fire departments gain authority, modern equipment to prevent and improve response times to structure fires. - In our century — June 1910
Street lights become symbols of communities’ economic success, and lighting technology efficiency evolves. - In our century — September 1909
With urban growth comes city leaders’ desire to control and direct it for the community’s greatest benefit. - In our century — September 1909
Cities embrace playgrounds as valuable public assets for children’s safety, health and social development. - In our century — September 1909
Women embrace public causes, work to improve their communities and expand their societal roles. - In our century — March 1910
Cities develop methods, mechanisms and regulations for residential solid waste collection and disposal. - In our century — November 1909
Occupancy laws and social workers emerge in the early 1900s to clean up inner-city neighborhoods. - The way we were
Publisher’s son remembers American City & County‘s roots.
