Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

A distinctive feature of the restrooms in both the Coronet and Baronet Theatres, New York City, are individual dressing rooms, each with its own wash basin and mirror. All fixtures are in a soft pink and the fluorescent lighting is a soft white. Flooring is imported Italian tile in gold on white and gold on black. By BRIAN DAVIS* F or many owners and managers of theatres, restrooms are a problem. They are a problem especially for owners of older buildings who are attempting to “get by” with out-dated and poorly maintained equipment. They are definitely not a problem for owners and operators of theatres with restrooms that have been brought up to date. Americans are a plumbing-conscious people. They expect modern plumbing wherever they live, work, or play. This is a fact which theatremen must take into consideration. The double feature may be thrilling, the seats extremely comfortable, and the popcorn delicious, yet the comments on the evening’s entertainment made by the patrons as they leave the theatre may be anything but complimentary. AN INSULT TO PATRONS “This theatre has the most unsanitary and unattractive restrooms I have ever seen,” women may be overheard telling their husbands. “It’s an insult to the patrons of this theatre to expect them to use a room like that.” And friend husband may chime in with a comment that might run something like this “I can’t say that the men’s room was any better. The equipment is pretty dingy and the whole room could stand a good cleaning.” There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground when it comes to theatre washrooms. They are either bright and attrac 58 DO YOUR RESTROOMS SPEAK WELL FOR YOUR THEATRE? Cleanliness Comes First But Consider New Trends In Fixture Design, Color, Wall and Ceiling Surfaces tive or dingy and old-fashioned. In either event, they are a powerful factor in creating an image for the theatre, favorable or unfavorable. If the washrooms in your theatre are not what they should be, then modernization is the answer. There comes a time in the life of every building when a complete replacement of all existing fixtures is advisable for the prestige and usefulness of the building. Not merely replacement of all existing fixtures, but the installation of additional fixtures is required in many theatres. Modernization is advisable for the older theatres not only as a matter of prestige to hold customers, but also from a dollar and cents standpoint. Time is wasted in trying to keep an old washroom clean and looking respectable. Modernization isn’t nearly the big job it used to be. Many plumbing contractors are prepared to take the responsibility for the entire job — tile work, decorating, electrical work, carpentry. They will supervise all of this work in addition to providing the plumbing fixtures and taking care of their installations. Some plumbing contractors will also take care of the financing for the entire job, splitting the cost up into monthly payments spread over a period of years. One of the advantages of having the plumbing contractor do the entire job is that this places him in a good position to ‘Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Information Bureau. coordinate the work of the other craftsmen involved. He can see to it that there is no time wasted by the journeyman plumber waiting for the carpenter or by the electrician waiting for the tile man to get out of the way. It should be pointed out that many plumbing contractors nowadays specialize in modernization and their workmen are especially trained in this phase of the plumbing business. Before you go ahead on a modernization program, it would be a good idea to take a look at some new washroom installations in theatres, clubs, restaurants or shopping centers. They will, of course, differ in many respects. But the more you look, the more you will find that the new washrooms in public or semi-public buildings have some things in common. Among these are: Spacious rooms — not of minimum size. Adequate ventilation. Water closet stalls with partitions and doors for privacy. Walls and floors are easy to clean and are made of some non-absorbent material like ceramic tile or terrazzo. There are paper towel dispensers and wastepaper baskets for paper towels. Mirrors are large and well illuminated — they are not exclusively over the lavatories so the users of the mirrors do not prevent others from using the lavatories. Liquid soap dispensers or powdered soap A luxurious ladies lounge, beautifully decorated, carpeted and upholstered, adjoins the restroom, largely finished in ceramic tile, off the main floor foyer of the recently opened Fox Theatre in Polos Verdes, Calif. The MODERN THEATRE SECTION