ELEVATOR – PART 1

Our new home came with an elevator! Albeit one that doesn’t operate and whose car is stuck on the 3rd floor. In fact, the elevator door had not been opened in some time – evidenced by the fact that the replacement flooring installed several years ago prohibited the elevator door from swinging open.

After about a month of ownership, we decided to explore the elevator. We are learning about elevators. This one is:

Old
Broken
Dirty

It is also a traction elevator manufactured by the Salem Elevator Company in Salem, VA. We have yet to determine its date, but we assume around 1950 when the building became a nursing home.

Once the flooring was cut away from in front of the 3rd floor door, we could finally open it.

After removing years worth of stored items, Rilyn volunteered to sweep out the elevator car.

Although the light still works, something else long ago caused the elevator to stop moving. The last inspection was in 2007.

Watching the elevator shaft brick walls pass by on the way up or down must have been neat.

So, we got into the 3rd floor door, but the 1st and 2nd floor doors were locked shut. Since the elevator car was not present on those floors, the door safety mechanisms kept them from opening. Nothing some grinder work can’t resolve.