# Elevators - Why were the Early Ones So Hard To Use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573 "2010-03-15T19:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Visual\_Purple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5daacb/32.png) [@Visual\_Purple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Visual_Purple)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/21 "2010-03-17T02:44:50Z")
My grandmother had a house with what I remember as an old automatic elevator. I think that there was some sort of mechanical set up for lining it up to stop at the proper floor–definitely nothing electronic. The operation was a bit bumpier at the stops than a modern elevator. I don’t know when the mechanism was installed, but context makes me think it couldn’t have been later than the 1920s. In some ways, operator-run elevators worked much better than that one did. I’ve run manual freight elevators. All it takes is a little practice to stop the elevator fairly smoothly on the mark–OK, with slight adjustments if you want the floors really flush. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/22 "2010-03-17T02:55:31Z")
[quote=“HorseloverFat, post:9, topic:532573”] For automatic doors you need motors and controller logic to operate them. Each floor will require these doors. For automatic floor finding you need to have quite a bit of logic in there. On top of it all it needs to be done safely. Each floor will have a set of doors. But the only door motor will be on the car. Until the last 10 to 20 years all the controls were relay logic, not electronic. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/23 "2010-03-17T03:02:45Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > ETA: come to think of it, I might be misremembering here; I think it’s _doormen_ who are still quite common in NYC. They’re not common in other dense urban areas? The show iCarly has a doorman character, and it’s set in Seattle. But then again, I’m not sure iCarly is a really accurate representation of how most people in Seattle live. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/24 "2010-03-18T11:25:34Z")
Not sure if this counts, but Mendelson’s Surplus in Dayton, OH has a small freight operator that takes retail customers to the third floor (where all the electrical/electronic stuff is). The elevator is still operated by a full-time operator. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/25 "2010-03-18T12:17:50Z")
I always thought [Paternosters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster) were cool. It’s a constantly running elevator with no doors you just step on and off when you get to your floor. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/26 "2010-03-18T12:30:54Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > I always thought [Paternosters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster) were cool. It’s a constantly running elevator with no doors you just step on and off when you get to your floor. I saw a crude one of these (basically it was just a vertical conveyor belt with footstands) in a parking garage in Wash DC circa mideighties. Although it was only for the employees, I was still floored that such a seemingly dangerous contraption was legal! ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/27 "2010-03-18T14:11:12Z")
Think the questions been answered just wanted to note in many busy Tokyo buildings they have elevator operators still. Their role is more traffic directors however. Fill the elevator as much as possible then close the doors and move on. It stops all the typical elevator games of people hesitating or them standing around saying ‘after you’ to each other. The little elevator girls keep things moving. The operators are always small females. I think it is so they don’t take up as much precious elevator space. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/28 "2010-03-18T16:26:51Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I saw a crude one of these (basically it was just a vertical conveyor belt with footstands) in a parking garage in Wash DC circa mideighties. Although it was only for the employees, I was still floored that such a seemingly dangerous contraption was legal! Saw one of these in an airplane maintenance hangar in San Francisco a few years ago, running from the main floor to a mezzanine level. An elegant way to get up or down quickly, I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/29 "2010-03-19T06:33:17Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > I always thought [Paternosters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster) were cool. It’s a constantly running elevator with no doors you just step on and off when you get to your floor. Ooh, I met one of those once. It seemed a slightly scary idea, but merely because one expect lifts to have a door. So, not scary, but sort of cute, really. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/30 "2010-03-19T15:49:47Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I saw a crude one of these (basically it was just a vertical conveyor belt with footstands) in a parking garage in Wash DC circa mideighties. Although it was only for the employees, I was still floored that such a seemingly dangerous contraption was legal! They’re pretty common in garages around here. I don’t know what those guys don’t get killed on a regular basis. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/31 "2010-03-19T20:13:07Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > They’re not common in other dense urban areas? > > The show iCarly has a doorman character, and it’s set in Seattle. I think Frasier’s condo had a doorman in that show, also in Seattle. I’ve never seen an apartment house doorman in L.A. People here presumably don’t want a doorman bothering them any more than strangers or drop-in visitors. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/32 "2010-03-20T10:58:55Z")
As of last week, there is an office building in Milwaukee that still has a bank of elevators that employ full time operators. It’s the 400 Century building, IIRC. It was an odd experience. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/33 "2010-03-20T23:46:56Z")
I live in NYC. The last time I was in Tiffany’s, a couple of years ago, they had elevators with operators. ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573/34 "2010-03-22T01:57:27Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Part of it may have been fear. In the old day people were afraid they’d fall and crash so operators provided a certain amount of security to people who were not sure of them. I will speculate that Markxxx is on to another another aspect of elevator evolution; the (visual) fear factor. There was no reason to prevent early elevators from being “enclosed”. They were “open”/mesh possibly so people could see the surroundings and perhaps avoid any claustrophic affects. Nowadays one factor may be that for todays speedier elevators, especially in high rise building, being closed avoids what may be a disconcerting effect of seeing the floors whiz by. I’ve been in some ‘open’ elevators on the sides of buildings that provide a dramatic view, and I note they all proceed at a sedate pace. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-why-were-the-early-ones-so-hard-to-use/532573.md?page=1)