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Why do some Milwaukee basements have a toilet in the middle of the room?

On this week's Urban Spelunking we're answering a weird Milwaukee question: What's the deal with those random basement toilets?

In some Milwaukee homes, especially those built pre-WWII, there's a toilet plopped in the middle of the basement, often with no other amenities. No door, no walls, no sink -- just a toilet. But why?

OnMilwaukee's Bobby Tanzilo took it upon himself to answer this question and found a few plausible explanations. Was the basement toilet meant to be the "dad" toilet -- a vestige from Milwaukee's industrial past -- or was the basement simply the easiest place to install it when indoor plumbing arrived?

Depending on the home, it could be either of those explanations, plus Bobby found a few other reasons for that random toilet in the basement. And are they unique to Milwaukee? Listen to this week's episode below, and visit OnMilwaukee for even more.

Director of Digital Content | Radio Milwaukee