Hippodrome’s Historic Manual Elevator Being Restored

The City of Gainesville’s Wild Spaces & Public Places Department and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs announced that the US$135,799 project to restore the Hippodrome’s historic elevator has begun, reports Alachua Chronicle. The Hippodrome, completed in 1911, served as a U.S. Post Office, Federal Courthouse and U.S. Land Office until 1964. In 1979, the building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and then in 1981, the Hippodrome was designated as a State Theatre of Florida, which it still is to this day. The Otis Elevator Co. installed the Hippodrome’s manually operated elevator, engineered to function using friction and counterweight technology, in 1924. The 112-year-old elevator was Florida’s oldest continuously operating elevator until January 2024, when it was taken out of service for safety concerns. Now, Eletech Elevator Co. has begun disassembling and assessing the historic elevator with the help of an expert machinist to repair damaged components and fabricate new parts for its restoration. The project is anticipated to be completed this summer.