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.
Steam-Powered Elevator Engines
Examining early steam-powered engines and their evolution There is, perhaps, nothing as antithetical to our conception of the modern electric elevator engine as the 19th-century steam engine. Our mind’s eye...
Tyler Elevator Doors, Circa 1919
A 1919 catalog from W.S. Tyler Co. and the technology and products offered during the period In 1919, W.S. Tyler Co. of Cleveland issued Catalog No. 44: A Book of...
10th Annual CTBUH Awards
Coverage of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)’s awards symposium, presentation and Annual Awards Dinner held in Chicago on November 3, 2011 On November 3, 2011, the...
A Look Back: ELEVATOR WORLD, January 1982
Examining the changing nature of global industry practice The January 1982 issue of EW began in William C. Sturgeon’s well-known monthly column “Speaking of Issues,” with the acknowledgment that this...
Hoists, Teagles and Safety in the Early 20th Century, Conclusion
The final installment of our look at the role of teagles and hoists in early elevators This month’s article is the third and last in a series on W. Sydney...
Passenger Elevator Service (1920)
The question of how to determine the best elevator service has been a topic of debate since the early 1900s. In 1920, an answer was offered. The question of how...
Proposal and Specifications for a Titan Plunger Elevator
An examination of a typical late-19th-century service proposal. Contracts and proposals for serv-ices have always been critical aspects of the elevator industry’s business operation. In a manner similar to that...
The Elevator Constructor
A brief look at a pioneering magazine during its first years in publication The International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) was founded on July 18, 1901. Two years later, in...
Elevator Movies, Part Three
This is the third and final article in a three-part series that examines movies featuring an elevator as a primary setting, rather than just as a prop that facilitates action....
Elevator Movies, Part Two
This is the second article in a three-part series that examines movies that feature an elevator as a primary setting, rather than just as a prop that facilitates action. This...
