TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Before driving into the vast desert of Wonder Valley, California, you may want to use a bathroom in either Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms. If you don’t, there’s really only one place to go.
The Glass Outhouse Art Installation is an eye-opening lavatory experience for when you really have to go. It is a public toilet enclosed by one-way glass that was built by artist Loral Seidl.
“You can see out, but people can’t see in,” said Seidl.
It is true. The one-way glass does provide you with a certain amount of privacy, but when Seidl opened her desert art gallery, the glass outhouse wasn’t supposed to be the main attraction or the name of the place. It was simply built out of necessity.
“There are no tall bushes people can go behind out here. I needed a restroom. I don’t want people trekking through my house,” said Seidl.
As you will see if you visit her property, Seidl likes to recycle. So, instead of getting rid of some old one-way glass, she put the panels to use just like everything else on the property that seems to end up here from somewhere.
“Well, everything comes from somewhere. They don’t just sprout up out here in the desert,” said Seidl.
Admission into the Glass Outhouse is free and so are Loral’s wit and sass. As for the origin of her things, she says they come from here and there.
“I set it up so it is humorous or attractive or whatever,” said Seidl, who’s worked a number of jobs and traveled all over the nation collecting knickknacks.
Eventually she and her husband bought this place in the desert to store her things and started a farm.
“A rabbit barn. We raised rabbits commercially here,” said Seidl.
When Seidl got tired of raising rabbits, she converted the barn into an art gallery.
“Turned out to be one of those 'if you build it they will come situations' because it is a nonprofit and there is no fees,” said Seidl.
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Since she doesn’t charge any commission fees, she gets art from all over the world, which makes for a very diverse art gallery. You’ll even find some of Seidl’s unique paintings. She uses bird feathers as a canvas.
After looking at some art, you may want to consider getting married. Luckily, the Glass Outhouse Art Gallery has its own chapel. So far 10 people have exchanged vows inside. It is not big but it’s free and beautifully designed by her husband, but just to be clear Loral says it wasn’t the husband she originally moved here with.
“No, number four. I had to kiss a lot of frogs to find my prince. Took me 70 years,” said Seidl.
You could use the restrooms back in Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms before venturing into Wonder Valley, but why? Here at the Glass Outhouse the toilet is clean, the art is interesting, and the company is more than memorable.
ANOTHER QUIRKY OUTHOUSE ON THE BACKROADS: On Highway 37 west of Vallejo, thousands of people drive by an old outhouse in the middle of a marsh every day. This is the story of how it got there.
