'Taj Mahal' Public Toilets

This heritage space is on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Kōrero, the national statutory record of heritage places maintained by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (HNZPT). It is not owned by HNZPT.

The ‘Taj Mahal’ building was built as a public toilet in 1928–29 (opening in July 1929) in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand and got its popular name from the distinctive domes at either end. The building was used as public toilets until 1966. The building has subsequently housed the Taj Mahal restaurant, The Dome Bar (a queer bar), Traffic Wine Bar, Scorpio’s Welsh Restaurant and is currently occupied by the Welsh Dragon Bar. It was a popular beat (a sex on site venue) for men interested in men when it was open as a public toilet. When the building was undergoing renovation for the Dome, graffiti was found under numerous layers of paint that pointed to its historical use as a beat. The Welsh Dragon Bar is a safe space for queer communities today.

More information

• This heritage space is open to the public during business hours.
  This heritage space is on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Kōrero.