What about the downstairs women’s restroom? (Activity Report)

THE FIRST PHASE of the multiyear renovation project in our historic sanctuary building is well underway. As its contours have taken shape, observers have naturally asked: Why are only 3 of the 4 restrooms being addressed at this time—what about the downstairs women’s restroom?

A stall in the basement women’s room

Below the jump, this post gives the back story, to explain why we are not touching that restroom during Phase 1.… 

Dividing the work into stages

First of all, we could not take on everything at once. We needed to proceed in stages, due to the capacity constraints in our volunteer management talent, and in our raising funds. In addition, the leadership (reasonably enough) preferred to see some initial success before signing on to the whole deal.

More than a year ago, when deciding upon the optimal chunking of the renovation tasks, I weighed the various considerations while consulting with our president, fundraising committee, director of operations, and architect. Ultimately it did not make sense to hold up the more urgently needed renovations in order to deal with this restroom, for the reasons detailed below. Conditions have changed somewhat since then, but they have not materially altered the logic of staging. 

This restroom is different

At the start of 2025, as the Ad-Hoc Committee on Capital Priorities was preparing its final report, the one clear consensus was on the need to remodel the synagogue’s restrooms, particularly the two adjacent to the lobby. At the same time, the impression that I received from the committee was that we should consider this restroom as unlike the other three. There wasn’t the same kind of urgency attached to renovating it.

What sets this restroom apart? There are two big factors: its relatively sound condition, and its relative high degree of interdependence with its adjacent spaces. Let me discuss each one, in turn.…

Relative condition

Unlike in the other 3 restrooms, 

• the space around the toilets (or urinals) is not substandard. It meets the current building code. In this room, one can relieve oneself with elbow room—that is, without feeling cramped. 
• the wainscot tile work (color choices and pattern) is relatively cheerful and interesting. Our architect considers it to be the nicest looking of the four restrooms.

In other words, a big difference: this restroom itself needs cosmetic surgery, whereas the other three need major surgery. 

Relative interdependence

This restroom’s situation is far more complicated than meets the casual eye. Before deciding what ought to be done with it, we must first answer big questions about the two adjacent spaces. In particular, our synagogue has yet to develop an integrated plan for meeting its storage needs, which will affect the fate of those two spaces. Renovating prematurely could not only foreclose our options but also add to the overall cost.

• What should be done with the Bridal Lounge? Refresh its aesthetic? Turn some of it into organized storage space? Turn some of it into expanded restroom space? 
• What should be done with the adjacent storage room (which also contains sewage-drainage equipment)?  

In addition, another factor looms: Major plumbing work will be needed in that area soon. That’s because cast-iron drain pipe is buried in the concrete underneath both that restroom and the Bridal Lounge. According to our plumbing consultant Drainology, “Cast iron pipe has an average factory life of 60–80 years.” Our pipe is now 85 years old (having been installed in 1941), although it was not placed into active use until 78 years ago (in 1948).  

Fleming and I have been trying to arrange for a thorough drain-pipe cleaning (to remove accumulated rust) followed by a camera inspection, to better ascertain the current condition. Later this year, we hope to know better how urgently the pipe needs to be replaced. In any case, within the next few years, that pipe will need to be dug out of the concrete. Presumably any renovation of the rooms involved should be coordinated with that plumbing project.

Presently there is no consensus around what to do with this women’s restroom and its adjacent spaces, even apart from its drainage plumbing. Developing a consensus will take both leadership attention (by someone else than me) and time (measured in months). 

Our eventual answers to those questions may well lead to a renovation scope that is more extensive than cosmetic improvements to the present restroom itself. And until the scope is more clear, there is no point in our taking other measures, such as asking an architect to draw up design options, or in paying for a construction cost estimate. 

Significant improvement for women

Lastly, to put the Phase 1 plan in proper perspective, consider this: Women are still being afforded a significant improvement on the basement level. Namely, they will have access to the new unisex restroom that will be created right next to the Social Hall. The benefits: 

• shorter travel distance to reach a toilet, 
• a brand-new toilet and sink, and
• extra-large room to move around in. 

In fact, because the men’s room is right next to the unisex stall, I predict that women will be the latter space’s most frequent users.