Rising 130 ft from river level to the Oregon City bluff, the Oregon City Municipal Elevator connects two of the city’s neighborhoods. KPTV FOX 12 spoke with Oregon City Mayor Denyse McGriff to learn more about this one-of-a-kind landmark. McGriff said before the elevator, people would have to climb 722 wooden steps to reach the top. As the city began to grow in the early 1910s, the need for an elevator became clear.
Operated by water, the first elevator was opened to the public in 1915. It took 3 min for the lift to ascend, and if it stopped working, passengers would have to climb through a trap door down a narrow ladder to safety. In 1924, the elevator was modernized with an electric drive, reducing ride time to 30 s. After years of use, the city decided to replace the lift. A bond measure was passed (after three tries) to fund the current unit, which opened in 1955. The upper part of the elevator opens to an observation deck.
One of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Oregon City Municipal Elevator was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. Operated by the Public Works Department, it is the only municipal elevator in the U.S. “Oregon City’s elevator is our symbol. It is what we are known for,” said McGriff. The mayor noted the lift is starting to show its age, and plans for the future include replacing some of its parts.
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