A former facility for bodily evacuation may soon be one for bodily ingestion, with proposed plans to turn a long-abandoned Lower East Side bathhouse into a cafe. Community Board 3's Parks & Rec committee discussed plans to turn the Allen Street bathhouse in the pedestrian mall at Delancey Street into some kind of cafe or takeout establishment, reports Bedford and Bowery. The landmarked building, which hasn't been used since the '50s, would need a $4 million renovation to reopen as a bathroom; the cost for refurbishing and renovation for another use has not yet been determind.
The NYC Parks won't issue the RFP until March, so there aren't any vendors lined up yet, but the committee was explicit in two things: the vendor must be reasonably-priced and must offer some kind of healthful products. Still, some are wondering why bother with another food option at all, pointing to businesses like a bike repair or rental shop that would service the community in a different way.
Either way, the meeting was missing the most important question of all: will we be able to pee there now?
The post has been updated to clarify NYC Parks involvement with the project, as well as the figures associated with renovating the building.
