Philly is opening ‘hospitality hub’ public restrooms on the Parkway in time for summer visitors
The restrooms will be located along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and will have adjacent visitors centers and water refill stations.
There is good news for anyone without a steel bladder visiting the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this summer.
On Tuesday, the city opened four new “hospitality hub” restrooms along the Parkway to welcome and accommodate the many visitors expected in Philadelphia over the next two months. The restrooms come through a partnership among Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the nonprofit Parkway Council, and Tork, a hygiene and cleaning products company.
“As we prepare to welcome residents and visitors to some of our city’s best public spaces this summer, our goal is simple: make it easy for people to enjoy Philadelphia,” said Katie Burns Kays, director of business and event development for Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, at a news conference.
“Hospitality hubs are designed to provide the services people need when spending time in our parks and public spaces, whether that’s access to restrooms, handwashing, hydration stations, seating, visitor information, or simply a comfortable place to take a break,” she said.
Each of the restroom trailers has four genderless stalls and an adjacent port-a-potty for individuals who cannot make it up the restroom steps. Each stall has a sink, soap, paper towels, and “air care” to keep it smelling fresh, according to Amy Bellcourt, a spokesperson for Essity, the parent company of Tork.
The restrooms are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, and are staffed by an attendant who will clean the stalls at least once an hour, Burns Kays said. The locations of the four hospitality hubs are: LOVE Park, Logan Square, Eakins Oval, and by Lloyd Hall Recreation Center on Boathouse Row.
The restrooms are just part of the full hospitality hub experience. Each also includes an adjacent visitor center for information, seating, and stations for water refills, Burns Kays said.
The restrooms will be in place through the end of July, but the rest of the hospitality hubs will be removed after July 19 once the city’s major summer events are over, Burns Kays said.
The lack of permanent public restrooms along the Parkway is one of the major pieces of feedback the city has received about events there, she said, and can dissuade people from attending public events. It is possible the city will make the restrooms a permanent fixture in the future, she said.
Previously, the city installed a handful of public restrooms through its Philly Phlush pilot initiated by former Mayor Jim Kenney‘s administration, but the restrooms were slow to roll out and it is unclear if the city will continue to fund them once the pilot ends.
