My house was built in 1960, and it has a flip-around toothbrush holder in the wall, basically like this:
It’s a little shorter and a little wider than your niche, but it is close enough in size that it makes me wonder if the house originally had this and someone replaced it with the niche and added the outlet for an electric toothbrush or an electric shaver.
A virgin mary statue? Not kidding, I’ve seen niches used for that, but not in a bathroom.
ETA: I’m not an expert on religion.
WAG: hot shaving foam dispenser nook
I like this guess.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-1960s-hot-shaving-lather-1905308998
You mean a Hot and Foamy?
(link to a very short and innocuous video)
A specialized plug-in light?
“I don’t care if my poop is scary
Long as I got my Virgin Mary
Peering from the niche inside my john”
/ Cool Hand Luke
Also seems wide enough for a hair dryer? I assume a 3-prong grounded plug would be code in the bathroom around water in the USA? If it’s not above the counter it stops the cord from running across the counter.
(3 shells - Demolition Man where Sylvester Stallone revives in LA in the far future (2025?) and at one point complains there is no toilet paper in the washroom. Someone remarks “He doesn’t know how to use the three shells…”)
Based on the responses so far, I don’t think we’re going to get a factual answer to this. Let’s move this to IMHO (from FQ) so folks can speculate and guess freely.
Do you mean a hand-held blow dryer? I don’t think those existed in the early 1960s. Hair dryers at that time were bulky tabletop units with a hose connecting to a bonnet that you wore over your head while your hair dried.
It sounds similar to a nook we built between the sink and the toilet, tho it’s closer to the floor. We use it for extra TP and the toilet brush.
And the wall is deep because the drain and vent lines are there.
Our 1949 house has a “niche” set into the original ceramic tile near the toilet. It is right next to the original recessed toilet paper holder. No electrical outlet anywhere nearby. Maybe 8" tall, 6" wide and 3" or 4" deep. I haven’t a clue as to its original purpose but we have a couple tchotchkes (that is the correct spelling, Spellcheck!) sitting in it.
The handheld blow dryer was introduced in the 1920s. They became lighter, more powerful and effective, and easier to use, and thus more popular, in the 60s. Safety regulations were fairly lax until the 70s, so electrocutions were a legitimate concern.
Like I said, I don’t know if this niche was added during a remodel after the house was built.
I remember the big “base w/ hose to shower cap” hair dryers in the 60s. Also remember the first “pistol” ones I ever saw in the 70s. From memory, those would’ve been to large to fit in this niche.
What sites do you guys use for free photo hosting? I tried to link it from Apple cloud, but no luck. My Photobucket acct expired. Seems like most of the time I wish to post/exchange images, I’m able to do so directly from my Apple computer. Unfortunate that this site prohibits that. And since I do it so infrequently (MAYBE 1x/yr?) I neglect to maintain an acct or remember the process.
Good call on the deep wall for the soil stack! Gonna see my sister (the homeowner’s mom) shortly. I’ll ask her what is on the other side of that wall.
Imgur
Thanks. That was easy.
Here ya go!
Apparently, it cut off the top/bottom of the image, but you get the idea.
(On edit - if you guys click on the image does it open the full image?)
The toilet is down to the right.
Toilet paper on the tank and pump soap on vanity would give an idea of the scale, but my measurements should be pretty accurate.
May I post to reddit?
Sure - presuming that in no way will be dumping to my email/phone.etc. (I really am that ignorant/leery of most tech.)
Looks odd, doesn’t it?
Open in a new tab, make sure your URL ends in .jpeg.
Is this a niche or an alcove?
Cubbies in bathrooms aren’t uncommon. It’s the outlet inside that is unusual. We’re probably overthinking it.
