I took this picture on Monday, August 5th, 2019. It was in the restroom at some cafe or bar right off of Ohio Street Beach, one of my favorite beaches in Chicago.
There are a lot of great details here so let’s dig in.
First thing’s first, what a great color scheme. The red stall is a great backdrop against the silver fixtures, and the fact that the bolt itself is black just makes it even better. This is a delicious color combo, I’m thinking chocolate covered strawberries here.
Note the interesting bolt design, too – it’s not a rectangle, but a trapezoid. I don’t know why they made this choice but it adds another layer of depth and action.
Now, don’t miss the fact that the handle for the bolt is a cylinder. That’s especially interesting to me and contrasts with the greater angularity of the rest of this piece really neatly.
I love the fact that the handle is also bigger than the hole in the housing, meaning that even if this lock were to come off the stall door, the bolt would stay with the housing. It keeps it a lot more secure.
The bolt housing is upside-down. Love this detail.
Great six-pointed star screws, too, for extra security – my keychain screwdriver couldn’t disassemble this.
The upside-down text reveals this lock to be from Comtec Industries, in Pennsylvania.
Anyway, check out the level of wear and tear on this piece. Look at all those scratches around the handle – are they from fingernails or what? The bolt itself is heavily worn down too, even on the side that doesn’t get used. And look at the keeper! It’s worn down like crazy, and even has that big weird smudge on the right side.
This is near the beach, so could it be sand, sunscreen, some mix of drinks? Who knows!
Note that the keeper itself is also extra long, longer than the lock mechanism itself, which adds a LOT of security. You don’t usually see a keeper this good. The fact that it extends towards the user here is nice too, so it cushions the door.
All in all, this is a great public restroom lock, and a great choice to start the blog with.