Interesting elevators
 

I have a strange hobby. I absolutely love elevators. Does anybody have any suggestions for cool elevators to visit? My three areas of interest are:

1. Antique elevators with operators, such as those at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. These are my main obsession, particularly ones in buildings with over 8 stories. The holy grail would be a building like the late, lamented 25 story J.L. Hudson's department store in Detroit that had 96 elevators with operators. Wow!

2. Interior elevators that are so fast they take your breath away, such as those at the Prudential Tower in Boston or the John Hancock building in Chicago.

3. Fast glass elevators, such as those at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan and Atlanta, or the St. Francis in San Francisco.

Surely the readers of this board know of some beauties...

Hi Alex-

In LA I would recommend the Bradbury Building- classic old, black iron elevator in center of landmark building. As you travel up or down, you can see every aspect of the building.

For fast, glass elevators- The Westin Bonaventure in downtown. A unique 5-cylindric tower hotel with glass elevators that travel b/w the towers.

In Toronto- the CN tower is extremely fast and goes VERY high!

Hope this helps-
Kevin

Re: the Westin Bonaventure - don't forget to see True Lies, which used the elevators in the movie (remember Arnold riding up on a horse?) The asst. Manager told me that they were mighty upset to see the Marriott (or was it some other chain? I forget) sign on top of the building on the fake set that was meant to be the roof of the hotel, after he just rode up the elevators in the Westin.

Other interesting elevators I have been in: in Japan, they seem to have very small elevators. One that many people here are probably familiar with is the elevator up to the old RCC and F (Fuji) lounges in Narita. What a small elevator, especially when there are 30 people trying to get downstairs to board a plane. No wonder the F concierge leads the F passengers down the nearby stairs.

Also, the main elevator in the Negresco hotel in Nice is quite amazing. It's got red plush upholstery on the back wall and has a chandelier. See http://www.lemson.com/lemson/picture...1381.JPG.html. Also see funky door to elevator at http://www.lemson.com/lemson/picture..._1379.JPG.html (it swings open by itself).

There's an old hotel in Chicago, the Blackstone (Michigan & Balbo?), that has cool elevators, but only for the movies that were filmed in them/at the hotel. "The Untouchables" (and it's infamous writing-on-the-wall-with-blood scene) was one of them, although I haven't watched the movie since I stayed at the hotel. I remember a plaque on the wall listing a half-dozen other films.

Elektrik

PS - Appropriate theme music for this hobby: Royal Crown Revue's "Elevator Operator." Good tune http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

The wonderful old cage elevator at the beautiful and historic Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego, California.

And still operated by hand.

Small world to find this topic on FT. Not because I am an elevator buff, but because in the process of building our commercial buildings we have to visit many elevator installations to see what the market is doing. This is my MO for getting a big chunk of flight miles. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

The speed fix can be had at the Jinmao Building in Shanghai. They employ an 8m/second shuttle lift to their sky lobby on the 88th floor. A true nosebleeder.

The coolest thing I have checked out lately though is Schindler's Miconic 10 system. This is used in one of the elevator banks in Rockefeller Center in NYC (as well as several other places.) It basically allocates the lift that is most appropriate for the floors requested. You key in on a panel located near the building entrances the floor you wish to go to and it calculates your likely travel time from the keypad to the lift and then allocates the next available lift to that floor call. It will not serve more than a few other contiguous floors on that call but can be used for other floors on other calls. It reduces wait time to next to nothing. The discioncerting thing is getting in the lift and seeing no buttons at all. Some companies program into their IC cards the floor that person should go to and when you wave your card over the reader by the turnstyles on the ground floor, it lets you in and calls a lift for you. Obviously a few inconveniences can happen but it is a quantum leap in elevator efficiency. If you think Swiss chocolates and tick-tocks are great, this will be right up there.

The RCC lifts in NRT are oil lifts meaning their is an oil piston below the floor pushing the lift up. It is so slow as result of this and does not smell terrific either, kind of like an escalator in need of a servicing.

Mike

[This message has been edited by mjm (edited 11-29-2000).]

How about the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower?

I did some editorial work once on HBS project on innovation, one of whose examples was the Otis company and their development of an elevator that ran horizontally as well as vertically. Anyone ever been on such a thing? I used to dream of multidimension people movers when I was a kid and would dearly like to find out where I could actually see one.

I would say any glass elevator in a Hyattesque atrium hotel or free standing tower. There are just too many to mention. The most impressive one I have seen would be the Marriott Marquis's in Atlanta. Wow!!! I have been in the Westin Bonaventure a few times and would say it's not one of John Portman's finest. He's the architect of many of these types of hotels. The movie "Nick of Time" also had many scenes in the hotel. There was also an early Michael J. Fox movie which I think was named "the allnighter" or something like it that had the ending at the hotel. Violist, I believe that the new Detroit mid-field terminal will have Otis designed horizontal elevator people mover contraptions. I think the weirdest elevator I have been in was at the Dublin Hilton. It was extremely long and narrow and had a LCD monitor. Very strange.

violist, how about the "Inclinators" at the Luxor in Las Vegas. Half horizontal, half vertical. Well sort of. They run at an angle up the inside of the pyramid. Fun and very disorienting.

I've also always liked the glass elevators on cruise ships that have the multi-story centrum-style design.

On RCCL ships, for example, they rise some 10 stories through the center of the ship, a voice announcing each successive floor (considering the amount of food consumed onboard, what they should be saying is "Take the stairs, fatass" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif). Then they go through the ceiling where you can see outdoors and the top pool deck before ascending into a lounge some 160 feet above water.

Elektrik

The PRADA store on Madison Ave in New York has only 4-5 floors, but its elevator is completely built of glass. When riding it, you can look out on four sides. Even the doors are glass. You can see all the mechanics, too (i.e. gears that cause the doors to open, etc.). Since I cannot afford the clothes, I go just to ride the elevator.

This topic brought back some memories ... when I was in high school my friends and I used to go elevator riding in San Francisco from time to time. Didn't know adults do it too! Among our favorites ... the Hyatt Embarcadero (one of those glass elevators inside an atrium), the TransAmerica pyramid building and the B of A Building (the last two for speed).

Among the coolest elevators are some old ones in Germany. I don't know if I can describe this too well without drawing it but there are several cars and they move continuously in a rectangular pattern so the elevator goes up, over, down, over, up, etc. (vertical and horizontal movement). It's fun to watch people on them because some people are kind of afraid of what the elevator does when it gets to the top - they get those, "Is this gonna flip me on my head" looks. You get on them while they're moving, so they're rather slow. I know of one outside Frankfurt, but I'll have to dig through some stuff to see if I can find a good address. Otherwise, perhaps someone from Germany will be able to help. The one I'm thinking of is in some sort of government or military building.

[This message has been edited by letiole (edited 11-30-2000).]

AppleFan: just the info I was looking for (although DTW weren't letters I cared to see).
PremEx: inclinators wouldn't be quite what I had in mind, as their movement is, what's the word, planar, essentially 2d. What the Otis Odyssey project focused on was (this quoted from Richard Leifer, et al., Radical Innovation, HBS Press, 2000) - "Over 50 years ago Frank Lloyd Wright designed a mile-high building ... [that] could not be constructed until the problem of moving the people was solved. A single elevator shaft was not a solution due to the weight of the cable. Multiple shafts consumed too much available 'real estate' of the building. ... Why not allow the elevator cab to detach from the shaft and move horizontally to a second shaft? ... ... Since the innovation required that elevator cars disembark from the vertical shaft, any single car's journey could be customized to navigate through a building or series of buildings and tunnels. ..." So what we're talking about is an elevator that has a three-dimensional route. Kind of interesting, to me at least.

Violist,
Below is the link to the newswire story on the future DTW terminal.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001025/mi_det_met.html

On the west side of the Landmark Hotel in Bangkok you'll find twin fast glass elevators (when they are working). What is interesting is that they start in an atrium, and then blast through the roof and emerge outside the hotel on an express run to the 31st floor.

In Sydney, the Queen Victoria Building. The elevator only goes up 4 floors, but it is so...well, "Victorian!" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

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"An upgrade, an upgrade! My kingdom for an upgrade!"

There was one of these in Stockholm as well (may still be there - I haven't looked for many years). It was in a building at Norrmalmstorg. The US Information Service used to have an office in that building. I think it is the same building as where the Hotel Stockholm is/was located.

While in Stockholm, there is a very large old wrought iron elevator in the Grand Hotel. This one is in the back of the hotel and is open to guests and visitors, unless it is booked for a private dinner http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

In the old "Bon Ami" (the cleanser powder) factory in Manchester, CT there is a huge freight elevator. The area was used by a hobby store in the 70's and 80's. They may still be there and be willing to let you ride.

/Pete

Anybody remember the elevator to the old President's Club at IAH?

Who can forget the strange elevator on the United DC-10-30? Not for those who can't stand tight places!

usoftie: Yes, the Bonaventure was known as a Marriott in True Lies.

letiole: The technical term for the kind of rotating elevator you saw in Frankfurt is "paternoster." Those were quite popular in Germany at one time.

Applefan: A better example of John Portman's work is the Renaissance Center in Detroit, the big brother to the Westin Bonaventure. The tallest tower, the Marriott hotel, is 73 stories tall, has an express glass elevator to the top outside, and 1800 fpm interior elevators. The four main office towers all have exterior glass elevators.

Perhaps the best elevator building that ever existed is the (now demolished) Landmark Hotel in Las Vegas. Wonderful glass elevator outside, plus an enormous express elevator with all of the effects: clicks and motor sounds [the elevator equivalent of revving your car engine], dramatic acceleration and deceleration, and, while waiting outside for the elevator to arrive, a breeze blowing at you through the closed doors as the elevator approached the landing to whet your appetite for the ride experience to come. The James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever featured Sean Connery riding on top of the Landmark glass elevator.

elektrik: The tune that I associate with elevators is Ramsey Lewis' Sun Goddess. I once made a Super 8 movie on the Landmark elevators synchronized to this song. Think about the opening bars of Sun Goddess the next time you are on a fast elevator that is accelerating...somehow it fits.

BTW, I expected 2-3 responses to my query...this is awesome! Thanks for all of the tips...keep 'em coming.

Another one that someone made me think of when they mentioned LCD panel - in the New Otani Makuhari hotel in Japan, the elevators had an LCD display that showed a video of fish on a coral reef! http://www.lemson.com/lemson/picture...evatorfish.jpg

What about the "elevators" in the Golden Gateway Arch in St. Louis. They are elevators/trams/trains that tilt as you ascend so that you'll always stay level.

They load like eight elevators stacked on top of each other, and they end up side by side (picture, if you will, the shape of an arch).

Mac

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Via con Dios!

A great example of John Portman's work is the Westin Peachtree Plaza in downtown Atlanta. It is nearly identical to the Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit.

Also 73-stories, 723ft. tall, and offers incredible views of downtown ATL. It appears to be taller, as the building sits in the middle of downtown at the corner of Peachtree Street and International Blvd, which I think is the highest elevation in the downtown area.

On a clear day, you can see for miles and miles. Views are to the north towards Midtown and Buckhead, south towards Turner Field and Hartsfield Intl, and east to Decatur and Stone Mountain. Lots of green treetops beginning just beyond Downtown/Midtown and extending forever.

Swift ride to the top in a glass elevator.

Though I have never been in the Marriott Renaissance Center, I cannot imagine that the view of the downtown Detroit skyline is overly impressive. However, it has been ten years since my last visit to The Motor City, so I may be incorrect in that assertion.

Okay you Seattle-ites -- there is an old office building that was built by a steel guy. All the moldings *look* like wood but are steel. It's incredible and the elevators are unbelieveable old neat things, ornate and really old.

I forget the name of the building but it's one of the most famous old buildings in Seattle, downtown, there is presently an interactive ad agency there.

Sorry I can't remember the name...

Atlman: The view from the top of the Renaissance Center is gorgeous. Not the unspectacular downtown Detroit side, but the side facing the Detroit River and Windsor, Ontario on the other side of the river. On a sunny day you can see freighters traveling up and down the river...in the summer the river and the islands in the middle of it present a lush and green vista. Portman recognized this and faced the glass elevators on the hotel towards the river.

richard: The Seattle building you recall is the Smith Tower. But...the new owner of this building did a dishonorable thing: Although the elevators still have operators, and the old cars and doors are indeed impressive, he replaced the antique manual rheostat wheel controls with a modern pushbutton panel. No fair! That's like putting an engine into a buggy that's drawn by a horse. Use the darn manual controls if your're gonna claim historical authenticity. Heck, the Bradbury Building in L.A. recently had new manual controls installed into their elevators to make them look old, so it's not like you cannot maintain the old components.

I believe the Smith Tower elevators were featured in the movie "Disclosure" - Michael Douglas' attorney had an office in the building.

That the elevators show off the river and Windsor definitely makes a big difference in the experience riding up/down to/from the revolving restaurant at the top. There is a revolving restaurant, right? I'm assuming the Westin in ATL and the Marriott in DET are nearly identical. They sure look like it from the exterior

Atlman: The Summit Restaurant (presently closed for renovation while GM is overhauling the entire Ren Cen) is a three story complex. The lowest floor is a revolving restaurant. The middle floor is an observation gallery with gift shop. The top floor is a cocktail lounge which revolves in the opposite direction of the restaurant.

One important difference between the Westin Peachtree and the Marriott Ren Cen: The interior elevators at the Peachtree do not move nearly as fast as the ones at the Ren Cen. But they both have been upgraded with these cool yellow LCD floor indicator screens.

AlexB,

Agreed -- the Marriot Marquis in ATL is something special; and the breath-taking view from the top down on the interior is spectacular!

Several further examples in Chicago fit your request.

1. Try the Fine Arts Bldg. @ 418 S. Michigan for an Antique elevator ride (complete with operator).

2. Obviously, the Sears Tower elevator is really something (ears popping all the way up as you try and catch your breath).

3a. Try the Water Tower Place elevator (across from the Hancock Bldg.) for a cool and quick all-glass lift (make sure it's the express elevator to the top of the mall).

3b. Try the State of Illinois Bldg. elevators over-looking the huge glass lobby and 200-foot entry way. (Yes, it's that large glass building -- designed by Helmut Jahn -- that looks like a spaceship crashed in the loop. Just hop off the L at Clark and Lake and you're there...)

Enjoy!

Without question, the most thrilling elevator ride you will ever find is at The Hollywood Tower Hotel at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

And BTW violist, this elevator does move horizontally as well, in all directions.

[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 12-01-2000).]

How about the one that takes you up the mountain to the castle in Salzburg, Austria! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

doc: Salzburg is a great elevator city. The funicular up the mountain to the Hohensalzburg fortress that you recall is similar to the "inclines" in Pittsburgh and Angels Flight in L.A. They also have the "Moenchsberg Aufzug" which is an old elevator that ascends through a mountain to take you to the Cafe Winkler overlooking the city. At the top of that elevator, you can observe (and hear!) the motors that operate those lifts. One of the few elevator machine rooms that are open to public display.

Does anybody know what happened to the former Holiday Inn in Augsburg, Germany? It was a 30 story cylindrical tower that was a combination hotel-apartment building which was a showcase for a local elevator company. There were brochures in the rooms boasting about the various models of elevators used throughout the building. It's no longer a Holiday Inn...what is it now?

Thanks for the Smith Building name, Alexb, I hate it when I can't remember a name...

There is the funicular in Palm Springs, California that is quite spectacular, has anyone taken it? In the hot weather you can take it from Palm Springs and end up in snowdrifts in just a few minutes.

Definitely, a trip to the Hollywood Tower Hotel is in my future. Maybe there should be an ElevatorTalk gathering? Thanks, Premex.

Twiz wanted to chime in with his favorite elevators, or uh sublevators (you can only ride them downward), as well ... the one in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and the one that takes you into Caesar's Magical Empire at Caesar's in Las Vegas. Also the only water elevator I know of, which is at the Grand Wailea on Maui.

There's a funicular in Bergen, Norway as well. Isn't there only a tram, not a funicular, in Palm Springs?

[This message has been edited by letiole (edited 12-02-2000).]

My family has a huge debate on whether the Haunted Mansion elevator moves down or if the wall moves up. I know that at Disneyland in CA it is a real elevator that moves down (as you must cross the perimeter railroad tracks underground) but I don't know about Walt Disney World in Florida.

Yes, there is a tram here, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. They recently began operating two new tram cars called Rotaires. During the 12-minute ride, which travels between approximately 2,500ft and 8,750ft, the cars rotate twice so that all passengers get to experience the full spectrum of spectacular views of both the various mountain ranges as well as the Coachella Valley cities below. The cars travel through five ecological zones between the Valley and Mountain stations. Have yet to take the new cars, but have heard they are great. Also, the floor of the 80-passenger cars slopes up from the outside to the center, so that those in the middle of the car can typically see over the heads of those around them.

I just found a web page that publishes magazines (Elevator World) about elevators and the latest technology of them. The site is http://www.elevator-world.com
It also has a virtual elevator museum.
This page: http://www.eea-eeig.org/Pages/base.html
has links to many elevator-releated web sites and manufactures.

P.S.: I'm actualy twiz, but I lost my password and had to reregister as T-wiz. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

For the modernist, try the one at the Chez Girard on Bishopsgate in London. Tiny stainless steel affair. Great for courting couples as it is barely big enough for two slimmer persons who do not want to be too familiar with each other.

My vote is for the Hotel del Coronado in the San Diego area. Their elevator in the lobby reminds me of the reruns of Petticoat Junction. The elevator is the Shady Rest Hotel...Very old and very cool.

The best thing about the Hotel del's old antique elevator is that it still works!!!