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If the trivia stars align and you find yourself trying to unseat the defending champion on Jeopardy! with a final category of “Elevators”, you’ll want to know some compelling facts and figures from the world of vertical transportation. To help with this nearly certain scenario, or to simply educate anyone curious about data of the…
In the closing minutes of The Blues Brothers, after what is arguably the single most gratuitous (and comically destructive) car chase scene in cinematic history (see reference below), Jake and Elwood Blues are in the final throes of their mission to cover an overdue tax bill for their former home, the St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage. The brothers remain undaunted in their quest, even as they’re pursued by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of military and…
It might be heresy to some, but Orville and Wilbur Wright did not invent flying in 1903. For centuries others had dabbled with lighter-than-air balloons, and later airplane prototypes were built and tested by an intrepid lot (there’s also the matter of those things called birds). Rather, what the bicycle-maker brothers from Dayton, Ohio invented was a way to control powered flight allowing their planes—and virtually all that followed in the remarkable aviation industry they launched—to take off, change direction, altitude, and then land safely again. Their breakthrough invention in three-axis control not…
Recently, the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) Local 4 celebrated their 125th anniversary with a dinner and dance at Boston’s Omni Seaport Hotel. Members, families, and friends of Local 4, along with leadership from IUEC international offices, building owners, company owners, and individuals from IUEC Locals across the United States and Canada – gathered…
Can you guess how many elevators there are in the state of Florida? Think about it – all of the commercial or industrial buildings with two or more floors, multi-story condos and apartment buildings, hospitals, airports/transportation hubs, and world-famous theme parks rely on elevators and other vertical transportation equipment to ensure the people who live,…
For 13 years, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) has been bringing together women who work in the building trades through the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference – now recognized as “the largest gathering of tradeswomen in the world”. https://youtu.be/_fflGSTEfcY According to a recent news release from the International Union of Elevator Constructors’ Elevator Constructor Journal,…
https://vimeo.com/772622389 International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) Local 2 recently hosted its anniversary gala at the Westin Chicago Northwest. Elevator constructors, company representatives from Otis, TK Elevator, and Cabworks Custom Elevators, distinguished retirees, and others gathered to celebrate 125 remarkable years. Chicago elevator constructors are the individuals who helped shape – and today, maintain –…
Every 5 years the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) enters into a collectively bargained agreement with elevator companies across the United States. The agreement addresses a range of issues ranging from work jurisdiction, compensation for the work performed to on-the-job safety and as such impacts the entire elevator industry for the next 5 years.…
https://vimeo.com/669929333/05b8faa6a2 Ever seen a working 1860 Horizontal roped public water hydraulic elevator? Take a look at this beautifully designed and precisely to scale working model from the Elevator Museum For another episode about the Elevator Museum, please check out our previous post here
Meet Steve Comley, the curator of the Elevator Museum, and his father James, Owner of Embree Elevator Company. These elevator mechanics have over 110 years of experience combined and it shows in the clip below. https://vimeo.com/651583700/e9c72c658c