Western Centennial Comfort Station from SW

The Centennial comfort stations are two brick buildings in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park originally built for the 1876

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

. They were located south of the now-demolished Horticulture Building and used as public toilets.

History

The two buildings are perhaps the only extant restrooms from a nineteenth century international exposition. They were constructed of brick with wooden elements, slate roofs and copper detailing. Each is about by and one story tall. Seven public comfort stations were built for the exposition, among over 200 other buildings. Only four Centennial buildings survive on their original sites:

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

, the Ohio State Building, and the two comfort stations. The Horticulture Building was one of the few buildings at the exposition intended to be permanent, and the comfort houses were likely built of brick so that they could continue to serve the Horticulture Building. When the Horticulture Building was destroyed in 1955, they were used as storage space and greatly deteriorated. A new

Horticulture Center Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

was constructed for the 1976

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

immediately north of the comfort stations. Renovation of the stations began in 2011 for use by the

Shofuso Japanese House and Gardens Shofuso (Pine Breeze Villa), ( ja, 松風荘) also known as Japanese House and Garden, is a traditional 17th century-style Japanese house and garden located in Philadelphia's West Fairmount Park on the site of the Centennial Exposition of 1876. ...

, the eastern station as an exhibition space, and the western as a restroom. The eastern station renovation has been completed, while the western station is still in use as storage space. During renovation, before 2016, the buildings were served by a port-a-potty. The comfort stations are located within the 1972 Fairmount Park historic district listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, but are not included among the 43 buildings in its inventory of historic buildings. Western Centennial Comfort Station from S.jpg, Western station from the south Eastern Centennial Comfort Station from SW.jpg, Eastern station from the southwest Eastern Centennial Comfort Station from E.jpg, Eastern station from the east Centennial Port-a-potty.jpg, Construction site in 2015. Port-a-potty has since been removed. Eastern Centennial Comfort Station Interior south wall.jpg, Interior south wall of the renovated eastern station Western Centennial Comfort Station ceiling.jpg, Roof interior in the western station Western Centennial Comfort Station floor.jpg, Floor in the western station, possibly showing wall footings and plumbing remnants

History

References

Further reading