The city hopes the new bathrooms will avoid the problems that doomed Seattle’s controversial public toilet program two decades ago.
SEATTLE — One of Seattle’s newly installed public restroom units near Lumen Field was found with a shattered window Monday, providing an early test for a pilot program designed to expand access to public bathrooms downtown ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The damaged window was on a Throne Labs restroom unit outside Lumen Field, one of four solar-powered public restrooms recently installed in the Pioneer Square neighborhood as part of a one-year pilot program between the city and the company.
According to Throne Labs, the damage was reported through the company’s support line at 8:14 p.m. Sunday. Company staff immediately took the affected restroom offline while keeping a second unit at the location open to the public.
Crews were dispatched Monday morning with replacement glass and the restroom was back in service by 2:16 p.m., according to the company.
Seattle resident and content creator Erik Quintero discovered the damage while filming a social media video highlighting public restroom options for visitors expected to travel to Seattle for the FIFA World Cup.
“What’s ironic was, I was actually making a video about public restroom recommendations for World Cup visitors, and then when I showed up, it was just a whole broken window and stuff,” Quintero said. “It’s unfortunate because it’s a really cool thing for the community, for the public, and then just kind of seeing only like two weeks after they’ve been set up, that’s already broken. It’s, like, really unfortunate.”
Quintero later shared video of the damage on social media.
The public restrooms are part of Seattle’s effort to expand access to public facilities downtown. The units operate on solar power and use touchless fixtures and remote monitoring technology. Users can unlock the restrooms through a QR code, text message or mobile app, and visits are limited to 10 minutes.
Throne Labs said the technology allows operators to monitor the units remotely and quickly respond to maintenance issues.
“This type of vandalism is exactly the kind of issue that leads cities to avoid investing in public restrooms, or to let them fall into disrepair,” the company said in a statement.
The company added that the quick turnaround on repairs demonstrated the benefits of its monitoring system.
“Because we monitor our units in real time and can mobilize quickly, a broken window became a same-day fix rather than a weeks-long closure,” the statement said.
Despite the damage, Quintero said he believes most Seattle residents support projects like the restroom pilot.
“I think majority of the people that live in Seattle do care about the city. They like to take care of it. They want to see these things stay nice, new and shiny for everyone to use,” he said.
City officials plan to evaluate the restroom pilot over the next year, examining maintenance needs, cleanliness, public feedback and how well the facilities hold up under everyday use.
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