Dr. Lee Gray
Dr. Lee Gray, professor of Architectural History and senior associate dean of the College of Arts + Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has written more than 200 monthly articles on the history of vertical transportation (VT) for ELEVATOR WORLD since 2003. He is also the author of From Ascending Rooms to Express Elevators: A History of the Passenger Elevator in the 19th Century. He also serves as curator of theelevatormuseum.org, created by Elevator World, Inc.
The 1876 Centennial Exhibition, Conclusion
Part one of this series examined Otis Brothers’ steam-powered elevators, and part two examined American hydraulic elevators, both as seen through the eyes of engineer Alois Riedler (1850-1936), author of...
The 1876 Centennial Exhibition, Part Two
Part one of this series examined the steam-powered elevators built by Otis Brothers in the 1870s as seen through the eyes of engineer Alois Riedler (1850-1936), author of the Austrian...
A Houser Horizontal Hydraulic Elevator Engine, Part Two
Part one of this article series focused on a recently discovered Houser Elevator Co. horizontal hydraulic elevator engine brought to the attention of ELEVATOR WORLD by Gary Ritch of Syracuse,...
A Houser Horizontal Hydraulic Elevator Engine, Part One
The subject of this article was brought to the attention of ELEVATOR WORLD by Gary Ritch of Syracuse, New York. Ritch is owner and operator of the Central Variety Store,...
Salovaara and Peter Severin More (or Less) Elevated Fiction
Your author’s “Elevated Fiction” History article (ELEVATOR WORLD, June 2012), examined several detective and mystery novels that incorporated an elevator as a key plot element. This month, a different set...
Gurney Elevator, Part Three
Part one of this series (ELEVATOR WORLD, May 2013) traced the history of Gurney Elevator Co., from Howard Gurney’s purchase of National Elevator and Machine Co. in 1905 to his...
Gurney Elevator, Part Two
Part One of this article (ELEVATOR WORLD, May 2013) traced the history of Gurney Elevator Co. from Howard Gurney’s purchase of National Elevator and Machine Co. in 1905 to his...
Gurney Elevator, Part One
Gurney Elevator Co., founded by Howard F. Gurney in 1905, was an important independent regional manufacturer and recognized as an industry leader in the opening decades of the 20th century....
Emergency Access to Elevator Shafts
Last month’s history article, “A 1950s Haughton Elevator,” referenced a 1937 drawing that depicted an “emergency release” located in the hallway, was intended for “fire department and emergency use only”...
Elevatoring Communications Towers: 1956-1968
The infrastructure that supports modern communications systems (TV, telephone and radio) has changed dramatically over the past 25 years. Television antennae have vanished from rooftops, satellites and satellite dishes have...
