Winston-Salem, North Carolina – Community Park Restrooms

Investing in Winston-Salem Parks

Winston-Salem maintains an extensive park system that includes athletic fields, playgrounds, recreation centers, trails, picnic shelters, and community gathering spaces. Parks throughout the City serve as important destinations for sports, outdoor activities, family gatherings, and neighborhood events.

As improvements continued throughout the park system, City leaders recognized the importance of modern support facilities such as restrooms, shelters, and accessible amenities. Although playgrounds and athletic facilities often receive the most attention, dependable restroom facilities play a critical role in creating comfortable experiences for park visitors and supporting long-term park usage.

The restroom facilities at Miller Park, Bethania Freedman’s Park, and Easton Park demonstrate a commitment to providing complete recreational environments rather than simply maintaining outdoor spaces.

Miller Park and a Proven Park Restroom Building Design

Miller Park is one of Winston-Salem’s most established and recognizable public parks. Located in the historic Ardmore neighborhood, the park has served residents since 1942 and encompasses approximately 40 acres of recreational space. The park includes walking trails, playgrounds, tennis courts, baseball facilities, picnic shelters, recreational amenities, and a recreation center.

Over the years, Miller Park underwent significant restoration and improvement efforts that addressed aging infrastructure while preserving many of the park’s historic features. Stream restoration work, accessibility improvements, bridge rehabilitation, habitat restoration, and recreational upgrades helped modernize the facility while maintaining its character.

As part of these improvements, Romtec worked alongside project partners to provide a community park restroom that matched the park’s long-term needs and aesthetic goals. The completed building features a Sierra II Compact Double Restroom with two ADA-compliant restroom rooms, along with mechanical and storage space. The design later served as a model for future restroom facilities throughout the City’s park system.

The success of the Miller Park facility became a valuable reference for future park development.

Bethania Freedman’s Park and Expanding Community Amenities

Bethania Freedman’s Park represents a different chapter in Winston-Salem’s park development efforts.

Completed in 2023, the park was developed to celebrate and preserve the history of a significant African American community founded after the Civil War. Located near Bethania, the park was designed to provide both recreational opportunities and educational experiences connected to local history.

The completed park includes:

• Walking trails
• Picnic shelter
• Fitness station
• Interpretive displays
• Open green space
• Restroom facilities

These features create a gathering space that honors local heritage while supporting everyday recreation.

For this project, the City selected a sidewalk restroom design to serve visitors using the new park amenities. Although the project successfully provided restroom access for park visitors, it also influenced the City’s approach to future restroom planning. When planning future park improvements, officials ultimately returned to concepts more closely aligned with the restroom solution originally implemented at Miller Park.

Easton Park Builds on Previous Success

Easton Park became the City’s third Romtec restroom project and continued the City’s evolving approach to park amenities.

Located in eastern Winston-Salem, Easton Park has served neighborhood residents since the early 1970s and remains an important community recreation destination. The park includes playground facilities, basketball courts, walking trails, picnic areas, open green space, and community gathering areas. Over the years, the park has served as an important neighborhood hub where residents gather for recreation and community events.

To better serve park visitors, Winston-Salem selected a restroom building that closely followed the successful design approach developed at Miller Park. City officials modeled the Easton Park restroom after the Miller Park facility because of its proven performance, appearance, and functionality.

The Easton restroom project included a durable facility featuring two unisex restrooms, a mechanical room, stone veneer finishes, glulam beams, an extended roof overhang, and commercial-grade materials designed to withstand frequent public use. The project and its outcome reflected the City’s confidence in a design that had already proven successful.

Creating Consistency Across Multiple Parks

A defining aspect of these projects is how they demonstrate the evolution of restroom planning across multiple parks.

Rather than approaching each project independently, Winston-Salem used lessons learned from earlier projects to inform future decisions. Miller Park established a successful restroom model. Bethania Freedman’s Park provided experience with a different restroom approach. Easton Park returned to the design City staff preferred after managing earlier facilities.

This approach improved consistency while simplifying maintenance and enhancing the visitor experience.

Public Restroom Facilities Designed for Community Use

Each community park restroom was designed to support a wide variety of users, including:

• Families
• Playground users
• Athletic participants
• Walkers and trail users
• Community event attendees
• Neighborhood residents

Durable construction and accessible layouts allow these facilities to serve everyday recreation while accommodating larger community events.

Built for Long-Term Performance

The restroom facilities incorporated features intended to provide a long service life and reduce maintenance requirements.

Key elements included:

• Concrete masonry construction
• Stone veneer finishes
• Mechanical rooms
• ADA-accessible layouts
• Durable commercial fixtures
• Protective roof overhangs
• Glulam timber accents

Together, these features help the buildings remain functional and attractive for years of public use.

Supporting Recreation Throughout Winston-Salem

Although each park serves a different purpose, together they demonstrate the City’s broader commitment to investing in high-quality recreation facilities.

Miller Park provides one of the city’s premier recreational environments. Bethania Freedman’s Park combines recreation with cultural and historical interpretation. Easton Park serves as an important neighborhood recreation hub. While the parks themselves differ significantly, all benefit from accessible restroom facilities that improve comfort and convenience for visitors.

The restroom projects help support longer visits, increased participation in outdoor activities, and a more positive overall experience for residents using Winston-Salem’s parks.

Project Partners

These restroom facilities were completed through collaboration among the following organizations:

• Owner: City of Winston-Salem
• Customer: City of Winston-Salem
• Project Drivers: City of Winston-Salem and project consultants
• Landscape Architect: Stantec (Miller Park)
• Engineering and Design Partners: Allied Design and project teams
• Building Provider: Romtec

Together, these organizations helped improve public amenities and support recreation opportunities across multiple Winston-Salem parks.

Conclusion

Winston-Salem’s restroom projects at Miller Park, Bethania Freedman’s Park, and Easton Park illustrate how thoughtful investments in public infrastructure can strengthen parks across an entire community. Each facility was designed to meet the needs of its location while contributing to the City’s broader goal of creating accessible, durable, and welcoming recreation spaces.

Together, these projects also demonstrate the value of building on previous experience. The success of the Miller Park restroom informed later decisions, allowing the City to refine its approach and create greater consistency across its park system. As a result, residents and visitors benefit from reliable public restrooms that enhance comfort, extend time spent at the parks, and support recreation throughout Winston-Salem.