Videos taken on December 29th, 2022 & December 30th, 2022 with @WestCoastElevators & @OregonElevatorFan .
To kick off the videos from my Seattle/Portland trip, I didn't think there would be anything else better to start off with than these VERY EPIC NEVER BEFORE SEEN Elevators located right in the Middle of Downtown Portland!
This building was built in 1914, and was named after Henry Pittock, this building is not to be confused with the Pittock Mansion as this is an office building, not a Mansion turned tourist attraction!
There are a total of 6 elevators in this building, 5 of which were fully modernized in the 1950s (4 of them into Autotronic likely with thr Heat Sensitive buttons originally, 1 with the Black Button fixtures) while the 1 elevator on the very far right is still for the most part fully original from 1914!
It is not everyday you see THREE Totally Different Elevator models in the EXACT Same Bank in ONE Building, and below are details about each of the elevators here!
The first elevators we ride in the video that also happen the be the Main Elevators in the building are the 4 elevators that got modernized into Otis Autotronic sometime in the 1950s. In this split bank of 6, 2 on the left and 2 on the right were modded/automated into the then state of the Art Autotronic Elevators. Originally Manually Controlled, these would've had the Square Touch/Heat Sensitive buttons following the 1950s modernization, but in either the 90s or 2000s, these elevators got a Slap On Mod with ERM CA US-92 replacing one COP in each of the elevators as well as all of call stations. This slap on mod is one of the most BIZARRE ones I've ever seen given that they actually KEPT ONE COP in each of the elevator cars and the original fire service, Up/Down arrow lights and intercoms remain intact on them, but they removed the floor buttons and slapped a piece of metal where they would've been! I find this to be very odd and I definitely question why they did this, and it's pretty obvious the mod done in the 90s/2000s was just a cheap slap on done as the bare minimum to make this elevator system ADA & Fire Code Compliant.
With this all being said however, cheap and ugly & unusual the slap on mod may be, these are otherwise TOTALLY original Otis Autotronic Elevators with Original Indicators, Lanterns, Bells, Door Operators and a Fully Functioning Autotronic Panel in the lobby! In addition to the Many Original Characteristics that still remain about these elevators, they also are ABSOLUTE ROCKETS & FLY for ONLY 8 FLOORS and these also have very interesting angled cabs too!!!
Unfortunately, at the time of this video, only 2 out of 4 of these Autotronic Cars were working, but they were absolutely a BLAST to ride!!! While I do certainly wish these still had the Original Touch Buttons, this is also a perfect example of an elevator system where I would say FORGET THE FIXTURES, these are still AMAZING!!! And I'm telling you that despite not being the tallest elevators in the World, they offer a TON of thrill and are a lot of fun despite going up and down only 8 floors!
And to add to the positivity, even though the 4 Main Elevators got a Slap On Mod, the Service Elevator on the Far Left of the Bank of 6 did NOT! It was also modernized in the 1950s, and to this day still features it's ORIGINAL Black Button fixtures with (partially) working Roto Dials on the outside! Physically, this elevator is quite worn out as some of the buttons are falling apart and the Indicator is kind of damaged, but Mechanically it runs EXCELLENTLY and VERY SMOOTHLY for its age and while not quite as fast as the Main Elevators is pretty fun to ride in too! This elevator feels STRAIGHT out of the 50s with a Furry Cab & Everything, and with a little bit of TLC could probably run for MANY MORE YEARS to come!!! This elevator was PRETTY EPIC and one of my favorite Black Button Otises I've been on to date as of now, and get this.....It's still not the best elevator in the building!
The best elevator in the building is located OPPOSITE of the Black Button on the Far Right on the Bank of 6 and is a FULLY ORIGINAL 1914 Manually Controlled Otis! The cab appears to have possibly been redone during the 1950s modernization, but otherwise this thing is fully original! It's a bit temperamental and from what I've heard, this elevator is largely reserved for building staff to use only. With that being said, I wouldn't suggest riding this elevator, I got this video so y'all done have to!
That being said, it is VERY EPIC and minus being temperamental, it too runs EXCELLENTLY for it's age!
All in all, just an absolutely EPIC & AWESOME Collection of Elevators in a BEAUTIFUL Historic Building!!! According to a couple of guards I talked to, these could be modernized within the next couple of years, hopefully not, but we'll see what happens!
With that being said, I hope you enjoy the video, and let me know which elevator in the bank is your favorite in the comments below!
2 окт 2024
