A 1912 gold birdcage Otis elevator in a five-story office building in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been operated for the past 12 years by 60-year-old Gary Wallace, office manager. The elevator, built the same year as the office building, has become an attraction in itself, The Gazette reports. Wallace, who says the unit “always passes its inspections with flying colors,” loves his “elevator jockey” job, perhaps as much — if not more — than his regular one cutting hair. Over the years, Wallace has acquired the skills to deliver a smooth, quiet ride to visitors as they make their 13-second trip up or down. He calls the elevator his “baby,” and himself, “the last of a dying breed.”
Or is he? Among the interesting trends borne of the coronavirus pandemic is the return of the elevator operator. Your author has seen numerous reports of property managers bringing in elevator operators to help keep people safer. Just this week, Los Angeles-based attorney Guy Gruppie told her he was at a business meeting that day and, “for the rest of the COVID crisis, they are using an elevator operator to make sure only he touches the buttons and that the occupants stand on X’s in the car, six feet apart.” So, is Wallace the last of a dying breed? Maybe not.
Be sure to check out The Gazette’s picture gallery of the elevator and a video of Wallace operating it.
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