In a curious choice of timing, Carmel opened its new bathroom by the sea yesterday.

Yesterday, at the dawn of the biggest storm in years, Carmel decided to quietly open its sparkling new $750,000 restroom at the south end of Carmel Beach.

It may yet be unchristened.  

The stylish, still-fresh facility boasts a living roof and solid mahogany doors that feel heavier than most people. Artfully-crafted stone walls camouflage it in the bluff, and architect Rob Carver, its designer, says the final product is “supposed to evoke ruins.”

The total cost of the bathroom—including design and construction—came out to about $745,000, which the city was able to partially offset with a $150,000 grant from the Coastal Conservancy.

The opening was announced in a statement sent out yesterday afternoon, hours after the storm struck.

For more on the soon-to-be iconic water closet, and its place among the world's elite public restrooms, check out yesterday’s story in the Weekly.