Vandals strike Seattle's $116,000 'smart' toilets just weeks after installation—they were for the FIFA World Cup

( Post Millennial )

Just weeks after Seattle unveiled four “smart” public toilets in Pioneer Square at a cost of roughly $116,000 per unit, one of the high-tech restrooms was vandalized when someone smashed a window.

The incident comes less than a month after city officials celebrated the launch of the Throne Labs restrooms as part of Seattle’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and broader efforts to revitalize downtown. The city is spending approximately $465,000 on the one-year pilot program.

Photos of the damaged restroom circulated on social media after being shared by Seattle Submissions. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) told local media that the damage was repaired in less than a day by Throne Labs, the company operating the facilities.

The vandalism is likely to raise questions about whether Seattle’s latest public restroom experiment will fare better than a similar effort nearly two decades ago. In the mid-2000s, Seattle spent millions on automated public toilets equipped with self-cleaning systems and multilingual instructions. The futuristic bathrooms quickly became targets for vandalism and were plagued by reports of criminal activity and drug use. The city ultimately abandoned the program and sold the units on eBay for a fraction of their original cost.

City officials have argued that the new generation of public restrooms is different. The solar-powered units operate without permanent plumbing hookups and can be unlocked through a smartphone app, QR code, or text message. Sensors monitor water and waste levels, while users can report maintenance issues directly to operators. The bathrooms also feature touchless fixtures, baby-changing stations, accessibility accommodations, and a 10-minute usage limit.

When announcing the pilot in May, Socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson described the project as a response to one of the city's most basic infrastructure needs. “Today is a first step to delivering on Seattle’s number 1 and number 2 priority: creating clean, accessible, and safe public bathrooms,” Wilson said. “This is a simple solution to address one of our most basic human needs, and a step towards creating a more livable and welcoming city for everyone.”

SDOT has emphasized that the program is intended as a one-year trial and will be evaluated based on technology performance, cleanliness, maintenance needs, and public feedback. The city has suggested additional units could be deployed elsewhere if the pilot proves successful.