Auditorium Park Public Restrooms

Remember the giant heart model that you could walk through at the Museum of Science and Industry, or at OMSI, or at various other museums. This bizarre public bathroom reminds me of that. Red tile must've been on clearance sale back in 1969 when this parking garage public washroom was built.

G wouldn't go in. It did have potential to be bad news, but the few public restrooms around the city are pretty well maintained. Neither of us had ever noticed it before, even though collectively we've walked by here hundreds of times. Its right across Clay St. from the Ira Keller Fountain.

This is the part that really reminded me of walking through a heart valve.

There's not a square corner in the entire bathroom, but it was surprisingly clean and even smelled pleasant. G still wouldn't go in, even after I showed him the pictures.

The red tile really is quite overwhelming. I think the strategy here was to make the facilities so uncomfortable to spend much time in, so that even junkies wouldn't be able to bear the bright red curvy walls long enough to shoot up. Get in, get out!