Harlem is getting free public restrooms on city streets that it did not have at the start of the year. A self-cleaning automatic toilet at St. Clair Place and West 125th Street in West Harlem now appears on the city's list of operating public toilets. And Malcolm X Plaza, at the southern end of Malcolm X Boulevard, is one of 17 sites in a city pilot of free modular restrooms that the city scheduled to install from mid-September through late October.

Malcolm X Plaza: a new modular restroom

The Malcolm X Plaza unit is part of a one-year, $4 million city pilot that is putting 17 free modular restrooms in public plazas and parks across all five boroughs. The Mayor's Office announced in September that installation had begun, and the city's 311 guide says the units were going in on a rolling basis from mid-September through late October. Manhattan's four sites are Malcolm X Plaza, Cooper Square, Delancey and Suffolk Streets, and Plaza Alianza Dominicana in Washington Heights.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation picked the operator, Throne Labs, through competitive bidding in June. The Department of Transportation runs the program, and NYC Parks helped choose the sites. Each unit is self-contained, needing no water, sewer or power hookups, so it can be moved or removed.

Inside, according to the Department of Transportation, each restroom has:

  • A flushing toilet and a running-water sink
  • Free menstrual products
  • A baby changing station
  • Climate control and a fully touchless, wheelchair-accessible layout

The restrooms are free and open every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. To unlock one, text 202-751-3694, scan the QR code on the front of the unit, or use the Throne Bathroom Network app, which also shows the nearest restroom, whether it is in use and real-time cleanliness ratings. People without a phone can use a tap card handed out by a local community partner, which is named on the front of each restroom. Throne Labs cleans and maintains the units, and problems can be reported to Throne Support by call or text at (202) 949-7079.

Malcolm X Plaza runs along Malcolm X Boulevard between Central Park North and 111th Street, on what used to be the southernmost block of St. Nicholas Avenue. The city closed the block to traffic in 2007 to make a planted pedestrian space, and the Department of Transportation gave it its current name in November 2025, during the centennial year of Malcolm X's birth. The 2 and 3 trains stop at 110th Street, beside the plaza.

St. Clair Place: an automatic toilet in West Harlem

In January, the Mayor's Office announced a public toilet for West Harlem near 12th Avenue and St. Clair Place, by the Hudson River waterfront, with installation set for later in the year. The Department of Transportation's list of automatic public toilets now includes St. Clair Place and West 125th Street, one of three in Manhattan along with Madison Square Park and Plaza de las Americas in Washington Heights.

These single-stall units are run under the city's street furniture agreement with JCDecaux. They are free, wheelchair accessible and open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Each one sanitizes itself after every use and is serviced twice a day. The January announcement said the West Harlem toilet would also include a water bottle filler. The nearest subway is the 1 train at 125th Street and Broadway, a few blocks east.

How to use them

The pilot restrooms, including Malcolm X Plaza, are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily once installed, and the Throne app shows which units are live; unlock one by texting 202-751-3694 or through the Throne app. The St. Clair Place toilet is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and needs no app. Both are free. Feedback on the modular pilot goes to NYC 311, and a full list of sites is on the Department of Transportation's public restrooms page.

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