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Horse elevators, a relic of NYC's past, being phased out [1]
['Gail Sherman']
Date: 2025-08-18
In late 19th-century New York City, the wealthy traveled by horse and carriage. Even then, NYC real estate was priced at a premium, so the stables for the horses were multi-story buildings. The carriages were stored on the ground floor, and the horses lived on the upper floors, requiring elevators that were large and sturdy enough to hold them.
Many stables were later converted to apartment buildings, and up to a dozen still have horse elevators, but not for long. Recently enacted safety regulations effectively outlaw these elevators, as it is not possible to make them comply. In this video, a Chelsea resident reflects on her forty-plus years of manually operating the horse elevator to access her apartment, as she takes a last ride with the crew dismantling and replacing it.
The elevator seems to take exception to being replaced, as the motor blows up as the crew is bringing up the hoist that will be used to operate it manually. The boss has to come and figure out a solution. He has been there enough times to be familiar with the elevator's quirks and know the resident. They commiserate on missing it. The producer asks the foreman, "Will you miss working on this elevator?" "No. I will not," he replies, firmly.
Previously:
• Elevators with no buttons, doors or stops
• The REAL reason the Florida Haunted Mansion's elevators go up
• The secrets of elevator design
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