Friday, March 15, 2019

Wood Escalators

I remember these in the J.L.Hudson department store on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, in the 1960's.  And elevators with elevator operators. I hadn't seen or heard them in decades.  They make a distinctive sound, have a particular smell.  And there are still a few in operation.  These are in the upper floors of Macy's Herald Square Store in New York city. It was a thrill to find them, to ride them, to hear them and smell them. 

 Do you remember these from your childhood? 
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9 comments:

  1. Debra She Who Seeks3/15/2019

    I've never seen a wooden escalator. I never even saw a metal escalator until I was an adult.

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  2. anne marie in philly3/15/2019

    THAT exactly was in john wanamaker's philly store! they made a distinctive sound and had a distinctive smell. and the elevators had operators too.

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  3. Mistress Maddie3/15/2019

    Anne Marie is right. Wanamaker had these, and they were cool. A insider told me they were extremely costly to repair if problems arised.

    And a elevator operator. I remember those. That was my mother's first job in Harrisburg at the swanky Mary Sachs .

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  4. Moving with Mitchell3/15/2019

    I especially remember that from Macy’s and was elated to find it still there in recent years even after all the renovations.

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  5. Karen3/15/2019

    I also remember these in Wanamakers! When I was small when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always wanted to be an elevator operator there......they had the uniform, white gloves, brass door to pull over and the small burgundy seat in some, I also remember the water fountains outside the elevators that really smelled so bad from all the sulfur! Everyone met at the eagle and fancy lunch in the Tea Room! This from a south jersey gal!

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  6. Deedles3/15/2019

    I have never seen or heard of wooden escalators. Elevators with operators I've only seen in movies, most notably Pillow Talk. My mother watched that movie every time it came on t.v. She loved Thelma Ritter.

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  7. WickedHamster3/15/2019

    I remember them growing up in either the Higbee's or May Co. in downtown Cleveland. Have a vague memory of elevator operators, but remember the brass collapsing seat with red velvet upholstery. They were still in some of the cars after they were automated.

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  8. Ur-spo3/16/2019

    I have vague memories of going downtown to Hudson's for Christmas shopping and displays.
    then it was the place to get suits

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  9. Mr G7/10/2020

    Yes! I remember them from the 70s

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