Heritage toilet’s future unknown

The oldest standing public toilet in Dunedin is the latest heritage building to have its future put under the microscope.

The Manor Pl toilet was built in 1912, and its doors bricked up some time after 1976.

Its interior was left as is.

The octagonal building appears to be on a lean, and has a large crack in the brickwork on one of its eight walls.

Recreation planning and facilities manager Jendi Paterson said a consultant was putting together a heritage report on the building, part of stock-take work the council was doing on its heritage buildings and their condition.

"Once we’ve got a draft back we’ll liaise with Heritage New Zealand, and have a look at the options."

Ms Paterson would not be drawn on what might happen to the building in future, as any decision on what might be done with it would have to wait until the report was completed.

Once the report was finished there would be discussions with the council’s heritage planner and Heritage New Zealand.

Council archivist Alison Breese said the building was close to being demolished in 1976 and a public notice was placed in newspapers of the time to that effect.

That did not happen, as bus drivers were using them.

At some time after that, and it was uncertain when, both doorways were bricked up.

Little other information had been found in the council archives, but a petition to the council from "the undersigned Residents and Rate Payers of Princes Street South" in March 1912 showed said residents asking for "a modern underground means adapted to the needs of both sexes".

The urinal design developed did not appear to give the residents what they wanted.

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz