Elevator of the Year: Modernization of the Metropolis Trust Building

I love that seemingly random trades that we largely take for granted have these case studies that result in awards for things us muggles never think about.

A garage I went to subscribed to a trade magazine for towing and recovery companies and left the issues in the waiting room. Sure enough, they had a recovery of the year type of award.

I don't know if it's still running but the hand-operated elevator in Chicago's Fine Arts building on Sth Michigan Ave deserves an award. I always enjoyed having an excuse to visit the music rooms on the top floors. The first time I visited I was worried but seeing the skill of the operator was something else.

https://soundquality.org/2025/04/chicagos-last-manually-oper...

Maybe they shut it down already and are reading Elevator World for replacement ideas. A glass one please!

The staggering number of fonts used on that award [1] is something to behold. I count maybe six?

[1] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/669edd08b2a3fe...

I guess it makes sense that there's an elevator of the year award, though it's never something I'd have thought of.

The photo of one of the brake assembly components mounted to a welded tubular skid, bolted to a large structure of I-beams, bolted to another I-beam skid which is bolted to the floor, is tickling me as slightly humorous.

My first thought was “there’s an elevator of the year award?” but reading it was fascinating. A lot of planning and work went into executing that modernization project from what was originally a fairly unique system. And 45-50% energy savings per year is a great ROI.

I wish there was more explanation as to why the original builders decided to make a cat's cradle out of the roping. It's not like you can accidentally run the cables for cab #1 all the way over cabs 2 & 3 because you weren't paying attention during installation.

(2017), if the pictured award is to be believed

Random off topic trivia

This building is at Market & New Montgomery, and was built in 1907, and has an award-winning elevator.

For some years I worked on the same block, at the corner of Market & 2nd St. That building (605 Market) was built in 1917 and if that elevator wins any awards it’ll be for slowness and low-availability. It was constantly out of service, and when it did run it was so slow that it was faster to take the stairs, even to the top floor.

I was once in the elevator room, among other oddities was the most monstrously large mechanical computer I’ve ever seen, managing the elevator.

I wonder if it’s finally been replaced.

I love the photo where assumably everyone involved is posing and smiling and the old guy wearing a high vis vest mean mugging the camera. I bet he’s the one who actually installed the new elevator, or at least the foreman for the work.

Fascinating article, thanks for sharing.

I’d be interested is reading a more technical article about the project management part of this process.

Related, one of the most fascinating articles I've ever read:

Up and Then Down (2014) By Nick Paumgarten https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/04/21/up-and-then-do...

My first thought was probably overpriced, hard to use, non-standard garbage, but it looks nice so it wins an award.

Turns out they are replacing the ancient non-standard stuff with modern standard stuff. How the ancients did it before we knew better is interesting - and you can't fault them for not knowing what we know now.

By contrast, the web design is overpriced, hard to use, non-standard garbage. I'm sure that will win an aware despite being an example of how not to do web pages.

I find things like this interesting, I guess everyone finds this normal but,

"Power consumption is down 45% - 50% annually."

Well is it 45 or 50? Is this a measurement or prediction or a random number? From an engineer or marketing? If prediction, why not saying so? Is this a range for several years depending on elevator usage?

Things like this irk me a lot.