Five Elevators Born to Stand Tall: NYC Style
Five Elevators Born to Stand Tall: NYC Style
In the city that never sleeps vertical transportation is continuously expanding. Elevators are essential to New York’s major hotels, universities, government facilities, commercial and residential buildings and retail locations. Citywide Elevator Consultants have successfully served many corporations throughout the city and abroad. Below are five famous elevators born in NYC!
E.V. Haughwout Building: First Passenger Elevator
It was three years after Elisha Otis’ presentation at the World Fair, on March 23, 1857, that he installed the first passenger elevator in New York. The elevator was installed at the E.V Haughwout Department store. At that time, the elevator only cost $300, traveled below .5 mph, and was powered by a steam engine located in the basement.
At just five stories tall an elevator was not required. Despite this fact, Haughwout knew that having a passenger elevator in his store would draw crowds of potential customers. His plan worked! Mary Todd Lincoln made her way to the department store to purchase the official White House china in 1861. The original elevator was replaced in the 1890s in order to update to an electric model. The electric model remained in use up until 2001.
Cooper Union Foundation Building: World’s First Elevator Shaft
Cooper Union Foundation building, standing only seven stories high needed an elevator to transport guests to their destination. The only problem was at this point in time the passenger elevator had yet to be invented. When the building owner, noted industrialist and inventor Peter Cooper, planned the building, he knew that he needed a safe passenger elevator. When drafting up his building plan, Cooper decided to include an elevator shaft. He believed that elevators would soon become available. Cooper reasonably assumed that elevators would be around in order to offer maximum carrying capacity. When Otis came up with the design of the elevator, he wasn’t concerned about passenger load calculation. Thus, leading to the typical box shaped car. In the 1850’s Coopers son, Edward, built a steam powered elevator for the Cooper Union Foundation. After forty years, that elevator was updated with an Otis electric box-shaped elevator. Eventually in 1972 an architect by the name, John Hejduk, designed a round model for the building.
Flatiron Building: Last Remaining Hydraulic Elevator
The Flat Iron Building was home to the last remaining water hydraulic elevator. Water hydraulic elevators use a highly sensitive system. They were also very slow. Reports from the early 1990s complained that the elevators in the Flatiron Building were both bouncy and slow. The director of publicity for St. Martins, reported that his commute from his apartment across the street took a shocking thirty minutes. Slow rides and repeated breakdowns were a reason that tenants were most likely to take the stairs. In 1999, the elevator was finally upgraded.
Cattle Elevator: The Ansonia
In April 1904 The Ansonia, owned by William Earle Dodge, opened for business. This seventeen- story building had 1,400 rooms, 300 suites, Turkish baths, and the largest indoor swimming pool at the time. The rooftop of this building was home to five hundred chickens, six goats, dairy cows, and many ducks! Due to the animals need for an easy way to and from the roof, the cattle elevator was invented. The rooftop farm closed down in 1907 by the department of health, while the hotel suffered from a large number of scandals in the upcoming years.
Double Decker Elevator: 70 Pine Street
70 Pine Street, previously known as the Cities Service Building, was completed in 1932 and featured a double decker elevator. This elevator was used to transport guests to their destinations in a speedy manner. The double decker design allowed for the building to have more elevators, but fewer shafts freeing up to 40,000 square feet and $200,000 in construction costs. Not only were these elevators cost effective, they were was also time saving!