Necessities of Days Past, the Mysteries of Today

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

The skills and equipment required to keep apartment buildings running smoothly has evolved to the point where some of yesterday’s necessities are unrecognizable today while others have simply become rare and specialized.

At the turn of the last century, elevators were run by human operators using a motor controller. The operator would often have to “jog” the control to get the elevator in line with the landing point, call out “all safe,” and caution passengers to “watch the step.” There was a social element to the elevator operator’s job as well. Like today’s doormen, they were a part of the fabric of everyday apartment life–always ready with small talk. Elevator operators still exist, mostly in a handful of the city’s grandest apartment buildings–like the Apthorp on the Upper West Side and 239 Central Park West. They share a union (Local 32BJ) with other building maintenance employees like doormen.

Dumbwaiters–wall chutes with portals in each home–were designed to transport things instead of people. A downstairs kitchen staff would send meals up to residents this way. Subcategories include delivery chutes for milk, some even fitted with dials to let the milkman know how many bottles you needed.

Dumbwaiters and wall chutes can still be found in older homes, often to the pleasant surprise of new owners. This Apartment Therapy article invites readers to share stories of various “mystery devices” found in their homes–like pneumatic tube intercoms and post drains–that remind us of the service needs of previous generations.

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Necessities of Days Past, the Mysteries of Today

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

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