The city hopes the new bathrooms will avoid the problems that derailed Seattle’s controversial public restroom program two decades ago.
Seattle – One of Seattle Newly installed public restrooms Windows were found smashed on some units near Lumen Field on Monday, providing an early test of a pilot program to expand access to public bathrooms in the city center ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The damaged window was in a Throne Labs restroom outside Lumen Field, one of four solar-powered public restrooms recently installed near Pioneer Square as part of a year-long pilot program between the city and the company.
According to Throne Labs, the damage was reported via the company’s support line at 8:14 pm on Sunday. Company staff immediately closed the affected restroom while keeping a second restroom at the location open to the public.
According to the company, crews were dispatched to replace the glass Monday morning and the restrooms were back in use at 2:16 p.m.
Seattle resident and content creator Erik Quintero discovered the damage while filming a social media video highlighting the public restroom options available to visitors expected to attend the FIFA World Cup in Seattle.
“The irony is that I was actually making a video about recommending public restrooms for World Cup visitors, and then when I showed up, there was just a broken window or something,” Quintero said. “It’s unfortunate because it was a really cool thing for the community, for the public, and then just two weeks after they were set up, it fell apart. It’s really unfortunate.”
Quintero later shared Damaged videos on social media.
The public restrooms are part of Seattle’s effort to expand access to public facilities downtown. The units run on solar energy and use contactless fixtures and remote monitoring technology. Users can unlock the bathroom via QR code, text message or mobile app, with access limited to 10 minutes.
Throne Labs says the technology allows operators to remotely monitor equipment and quickly respond to maintenance issues.
“This type of vandalism is exactly the problem that causes cities to avoid investing in public restrooms or allow them to fall into disrepair,” the company said in a statement.
The company added that the quick turnaround of repairs demonstrated the benefits of its monitoring system.
“Because we monitor our units in real time and can mobilize quickly, broken windows can be repaired on the same day rather than weeks of closure,” the statement said.
Despite the damage, Quintero said he believes most Seattle residents support projects like the restroom pilot.
“I think most people who live in Seattle do care about the city. They like to take care of it. They want to see these things stay nice and new and shiny for everyone to use,” he said.
City officials plan to evaluate the restroom pilot next year, examining maintenance needs, cleanliness, public feedback and the condition of the facilities in daily use.
