INDIANAPOLIS — The public bathrooms in a parking lot outside the old Indiana State Museum on Alabama Street, near East New York Street, are closed for repairs.
The bathrooms are part of a pilot program the city is using to look at public downtown restrooms.
The small, blue shipping container has two stalls, including one that is ADA-accessible. On the side, there is also a handwashing station.
Inside the stalls, the city put purple lights to discourage drug use and a five-minute, timed lock.
NOTE: The above video is from a previous report on the restrooms opening.
The bathrooms opened in February, but 13News learned they were closed for "repairs and upgrades." The city is working with the vendor to get that done as soon as possible.
For unsheltered people looking for a restroom facility, the site at 905 Kentucky Ave. is open for use.
The unit was installed at a cost of $36,000 as the city works to "provide safe and dignified restroom and hand washing stations to the unsheltered community." The money comes from the city’s general funds.
The specific spot was chosen because it’s a popular distribution site for the city’s unsheltered neighbors.
The city said that before this, there wasn’t a downtown public restroom people could use 24/7, which often resulted in unsanitary situations.
The vendor oversees regular cleaning of the bathrooms.
A similar style bathroom is installed at the city's SPARK on the Circle pocket park on Monument Circle.