16.    Restrooms

Then…
When the State House was constructed in the 1830s, Little Rock was still forty years from having running water or sewers. It is likely the first toilet facilities were outhouses situated away from the main structures. Records indicate that "water closets" under the stairs were included in the 1885 renovation. At that time, the present-day men's restroom was part of a "Display Room" (currently the Whistle Stop Station), and the present women's restroom was the Superintendent of Schools Office.

During the Medical School era, the women's restroom occupied the same space as the present-day Staff Lounge, while men were assigned a privy at the east end of the North Breezeway. After the building was restored in 1949-1950, the present men's restroom was divided into separate restrooms for men and women.

Now…
Following the 1999 restoration, the women's restroom was moved to the west side of the hall while the men's restroom remained on the east side.