Stylish, New Downtown El Paso Public Restrooms Are a Far Cry From the Underground Restrooms of Yesteryear

Did you know the new public bathrooms downtown have been completed and the facilities are now open?

Yeah, I'm probably late to the party (or should I say potty?), but it's been a while since I've been downtown because, well, pandemic.

But I just recently had to conduct some business downtown and wouldn't you know it, as I was heading back to my car, I had some business to conduct -- if you know what I mean, and I think you do.

That's how I learned that the long-awaited restrooms are good to go if you are ever downtown and you gotta go. And oh, man, let me tell you; we've come a long way from the underground public bathrooms that once existed at San Jacinto Plaza.

These new bathrooms, located across the park on Mills Street in the building between International Bar and the former Kress building, are almost too pretty to do in them what they are intended for.

I understand the city spent about $2.2 million on the project. To be clear, not 2 mill on just bathrooms but rather on the entire project, which includes buying what used to be the glass-mirrored building at 112 Mills, paying an architect firm for the design, and renovation and construction costs.

What the building looked like before the renovations

The location also doubles as a “Visitor Center,” which from what I saw consists of some elegant meeting space for city use, a rack with pamphlets for tourists and the curious, and wall signage and TV monitors that El Paso Live and Visit El Paso can use to promote upcoming events.

The new, fancy restrooms can be used from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, roughly the same hours San Jacinto Plaza is open to the public.

Scott Weaver took the photos featured in the Downtown El Paso post above. You can see a few more HERE.

And, remember the underground restrooms I referenced above? Here's a photo of the scary entrance to them I found in my archives. Like I said, we've come a long way since then.