WATCH: One Last Ride in an NYC Horse Elevator
A Symbol of New York City’s Ascent Is Making Its Final Exit
The invention of the elevator transformed New York economically and demographically. Now the city’s last horse elevators are on their way out.
Riding in one of New York City’s oldest manual elevators is like attending a steampunk ballet. The choreographed dance of cables, pulleys and counter-weights shakily lifting the cab skyward is narrated by a mechanical symphony of Clunk. Clunk. Screeeeech. Shik-shik-shik-shik. PLONK.
The show, however, is on a limited run.