Watched a building go from 1950s cable elevators to MRLs in 18 months

I used to do service calls at this old office building in downtown Portland where the elevators were ancient winding-drum machines from the 50s. The mechanics there would complain about parts availability every single trip - stuff like discontinued relays and custom-machined brake shoes getting harder to find. Then the building got bought out and they ripped everything out for a full MRL modernization. Now I walk in and see the same hoistway but with gearless machines and destination dispatch buttons. The contrast is wild because the old system felt like a living museum and the new one is basically a smartphone on cables. Anyone else run into a building where the before and after felt like two completely different worlds?

3 comments

3 Comments

dixon.iris4d ago

That old hospital in Seattle swapped their 1920s Otis drum machines to KONE without even keeping the doors the same size lol.

the_linda4d ago

Man, I swapped out a 1920s freight elevator once and had to rebuild half the shaft just to fit the new rails.

robinf513d ago

Yeah it's wild how nothing modern fits old buildings without a fight.