$300,000 price tag for Los Angeles Water and Power Building restrooms

By Cassie Tomlin

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008 | 4:42 p.m.

Work is progressing on new public restrooms at the Los Angeles Water and Power Building, with drawings scheduled to be finished by December, architect Alan Stromberg said.

Plans for the addition to the historic site, which the city owns, bounced between the city and its granting agencies for two years before the City Council on Sept. 9 approved Stromberg to draft the design.

Construction would begin in spring, assuming the contract goes to bid this winter, and take about three months to complete, Community Development Director Brok Armantrout said.

The $12,700 for drawings and related work comes from Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs grants and the city's Redevelopment Agency.

The entire project is estimated to cost about $300,000, Armantrout said.

The bathrooms in the building now aren't accessible easily. The new ones will serve the downtown public during parades or other events, he said.

Armantrout said the building's restrooms aren't currently open to the public during weekend events in the city. When they open, they'll be available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The restrooms will occupy the office currently used by the city's code enforcement officer on the southeast side of the building. Larry Markotay will move to a different space in the building.

Stromberg said a window facing Nevada Way near the corner at Ash Street will become a door leading into a foyer, which will take people into men's and women's restrooms or into the hallway.

The ground-level entrance will meet Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility guidelines and won't require stairs or a ramp.

Stromberg, a member of the Historic Preservation Committee, said he thinks the additions will appear as though they'd been there since the place was built, in 1937.

"It will be a very responsible addition, I believe," he said.

Cassie Tomlin can be reached at 948-2073 or [email protected].