History
19th-Century Elevator Guides and Guide Rails
The patent-filled early history of how these important components came into their own The design of elevator guides and guide rails was among the first critical problems identified by inventors...
A 1902 Warner Hydraulic Elevator
bHistoric horizontal hydraulic freight elevator had innovative solution to fire safety and shaft design. The size, material characteristics and durability of 19th-century elevator engines often result in a literal “presence...
Innovative Elevator Educational Materials
For more than 100 years, individual elevator manufacturers, industry organizations, labor unions and educational institutions have, at various times and with varying degrees of success, engaged in the development of...
Monumental
A 1959 Otis elevator in the newly reopened Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., traces its lineage to an 1880s-era steam-powered unit. “All aboard!” a U.S. Park Service ranger shouts as...
Elevator Car Equipment in the Early 20th Century
Passenger traffic challenges were solved by a unique blend of machine action and mental acuity. One of the most successful elevator-equipment companies of the early 20th century was Elevator Supply...
Kieckhefer Elevator
A partial chronicle of an early Wisconsin elevator company accompanies gracious photo donation. Roesselet was kind enough to donate the four photos in this article to ELEVATOR WORLD. They will...
Hungarian Parliament Building
Reconstructing an architectural jewel’s vertical-transportation system Reconstructing a historic monument’s elevators represents a much more difficult and complex challenge than constructing a system for a new building. This was exactly...
Curving and Continuous Elevator Systems
An examination of early 20th-century quests for our industry’s “Holy Grail” Almost every profession has a list of unique and elusive goals that constitute what may be thought of as...
The Gradatory Elevator, Part Two
An examination of the paternoster elevator’s inception concludes with investigations of Ellis’ patents and lone installation. This article continues the investigation into the first paternoster-type elevator, which was designed in...
The Gradatory Elevator, Part One
New data on an 1866 patent is uncovered to help better investigate questions surrounding the “first” paternoster elevator. The paternoster is one of the most well-known elevator types in the...
