My grandparents had one of these down in the basement, but I didn't know that basement toilets were known as "Pittsburgh potties." They tend to be freestanding latrines on the lower level, and the practical thing was that people coming home from factory jobs needed a place to enter the home after a tough, dirty day at the steel mill, drop their dirty clothes near the washing machine, stop off at Tinkletown, and wash up for supper.
 |
| Remember when I promised to keep this blog on the highest, most elegant tone? Neither do I. |
I'm sure lots of houses in Baltimore have this convenience; they are not limited to the Steel City. In fact, I stumbled over further information while looking for something totally different (believe me!) in the San Francisco newspaper. They have them out there in the city by the Baaaaaaaaaaaay, and real estate agent Ciara Piron is speaking up about her theory behind them.
It has to do with home construction, back in the 1920s when, for instance, 26 houses went up on one block very quickly. There were no Port-A-Potties then, so Ms Piron deduces that the builders put in the extra commodes for the convenience of the carpenters, masons, all the workers on the site.
I dunno about that, seems a little farfetched, but Piron says a lot of homebuyers on tours see the lonely loos and wonder what they are.
Uh, it's a toilet.
She says that a lot of people will buy an old house with one of these conveniences and plan to build a whole little basement comfort station out of it, and some are happy to have a place that allow them to save a trip upstairs.
Because all through history, no matter where you live, when you gotta go...
1 comment:
We had one of those in the basement of the 1916-built house I grew up in in Ohio. But it was a free-standing throne, with no walls around it; just sitting off in a corner near the abandoned coal bin all alone on the concrete floor.
Post a Comment