The Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law passed by congress and signed by the president in 1990, recently turned 20 years old, along with the ramps and accessibility features that came with it. The law changed the entire face of public architecture, forcing businesses, government buildings, and other, older buildings to be retrofitted with all the designs and trappings that we now consider standard.

Older apartment buildings had to add elevators and ramps, as did post offices, city halls, and a smattering of other such buildings. Public transportation like buses had to add wheelchair ramps so the handicapped could be easily lifted inside and let off just as easily. Subway stations were mandated to install wheelchair accessible elevators and wider doors on cabs. Airplanes needed to make the same types of adjustments, as did trains. The American with Disabilities Act was a monumental victory for handicapped and disabled Americans across the country.

These accommodations are now standard within these areas of transportation and public life. Still, retrofitting is a “hot-button issue” in some places, according to this article. In Fort Myers, Florida, some condominium complexes and other apartment buildings are railing against retrofitting of elevators and other handicapped accessible features because of the massive cost that would be incurred. Luckily, a new law has been passed for those complexes – SB 1196 does not require buildings to immediately change their elevator systems to accommodate the new standards. As the article states:

“SB 1196 provides some relief by amending the law to state that building code changes which require the addition of “Phase II Firefighters’ Service” on existing elevators may not be enforced on elevators in condominiums for five years, or until the elevator is replaced or requires major modification, whichever occurs first. This extension of time does not apply to a building for which a certificate of occupancy was issued after July 1, 2008.”

Although some may take issue with it, the Americans with Disabilities Act is a truly important law for those Americans who have to use elevators and ramps on a daily basis.

Elevators are a critical means of transportation, especially for handicapped and disabled citizens. They allow these people to get from floor to floor of buildings and other structures without any cause for concern. The same goes for escalators, which are quite useful to everyone and move traffic along as quickly as possible in high volume areas. For this fact alone, these motorized means of transportation are crucial in urban areas and public transit stations. The current dismal state of Washington, D.C.’s escalators and elevators within its Metro system is causing a major crisis in the city at this very moment.

Over the past few weeks, Washington, D.C.’s public transit system has hit a wall. It is unable to quickly and efficiently move passengers from area to area because of failing escalators and elevators. Many of the reasons for these massive outages stem from a shrinking budget coupled with higher operating costs of the D.C. Metro Line, the city’s subway system.

Things have gotten so dire that the Washington Post has created a blog post updating readers on the number of stations that have escalators and elevators out of service. The scale of this crisis actually has one group releasing an article calling the failures “The Crumbling of the D.C. Metro.” The author actually had this to say:

“Today, access to the system is made difficult by broken escalators and elevators all over the system; service can be slow and unpredictable; cars are dirty and crowded; air conditioning systems sometimes provide mediocre cooling in DC’s sweltering summer heat.”

I’m just glad the elevators in my area still work.

Ask any person off the street about the uses for an elevator, and he will likely come up with the same answer – it is used to get from one floor to another without having to take the stairs. This is correct, but overlooks how important elevators can be when it comes to advertising. Think about it – people spend a good deal of time on elevators, some on a constant, daily basis should they work in an office building.

We’ve all seen elevators with typical ads, such as posters and flyers on the wall, promoting any number of businesses, products, and events. This is a very smart and savvy way to market to a specific demographic, as some statistics report that more than 500 people per day ride in an average elevator. It’s small wonder that companies spend a great deal of money to connect with consumers who ride elevators.

Traditional advertising in elevators abounds, but the most effective and inventive form today is the interactive ad that can be placed on the elevator doors and landings. For example, you could display two hands coming together when the doors have closed, signifying a new merger or other business deal that’s gone public. Each hand could have a logo on it, and when the doors open, the cabin wall has the new brand name and logo on it.

This blog entry has an entire set of pictures dedicated to these kinds of innovative elevator ads. My favorite is about 2/3 of the way down the page and is labeled “The Divorce Lift.” It portrays a married couple when the doors are closed. The kicker is, though, that when the doors open, and the couple separates, an ad for a divorce lawyer is inside the cabin. These make me wish that I had a home elevator, because I’d definitely put something clever on it.

Throughout the history of the World’s Fair, we have seen many incredible inventions come to light – the ice cream cone and iced tea for example. These inventions have been terribly successful and have gone on to win the hearts (and stomachs) of millions of Americans. But what happens to the inventions that didn’t create a lasting impact on the world? Where do they go?

Apparently, they don’t really go anywhere. Featured in the World’s Fair of 1964 to 1965 that took place in Queens, New York, two so-called Skystreak pods have been left to waste away, now lying in a dilapidated heap of twisted metal and stray trash. These futuristic elevators were displayed as centerpieces of the New York State Pavilion in the 1960s, but have been discarded by state officials, left to rust and decay over the course of more than four decades. These elevators were used to lift passengers up on top of the pavilion to take in the overhead view of the entire fair from the rooftop observation deck.

As of now, the entirety of the World’s Fair area is in a state of ruin, and many preservationists are becoming angry, according to this article. Currently, it seems as if one of the elevator capsules (which is shaped like a thick Frisbee disc) has been left in its pit to gather rust and decay, and the other capsule has been left at a level of about 150 ft. The article cites that city officials promised to either save the Skystreak pods or replicate them in 2008, but since its publication, nothing has been accomplished.

For now, unfortunately, these elevators (which resemble something the Jetsons might have owned) will continue to collect dust and merely serve as a relic of the time New York played host to the World’s Fair. One can hope that someday the SkyStreak pods will be returned to their original form.

If you walk into an older home or building featuring a few stories, there’s a good chance you will see a dumbwaiter or a shaft meant for a dumbwaiter. Depending on the age of the building, you may see a newer era, motorized dumbwaiter or an older, hand-pulley system dumbwaiter. No matter the age of the dumbwaiter, one can easily see its usefulness in a multi-story home.

It’s relatively easy to see a dumbwaiter for what it is – at a base level, dumbwaiters are exactly like elevators, just on a much smaller scale. Instead of carrying people, a dumbwaiter generally carries items from floor to floor without placing stress on the homeowner, housekeeper, or other occupant. For instance, a home dumbwaiter can be used to carry laundry from bedrooms on the top floor down to the basement laundry room without having to fumble around with a laundry basket.

Don’t forget that there are also commercial dumbwaiters, primarily used as a tool at restaurants and hotels. If there is room service at a hotel, a dumbwaiter may be better suited for delivery purposes due to the constraints of elevators. The same goes for the linen changing service – cleaning staff could simply load dirty sheets and other garments into a dumbwaiter and send the linens directly down to the laundry area.

Much like elevators, dumbwaiters feature many safety devices that ensure secure delivery of items while maintaining safety for those utilizing this helpful household tool. Usually made out of steel (and wood in the past), dumbwaiters are equipped with emergency stop buttons for automatic shut-down in case of emergencies. Dumbwaiters also have tracking systems and speed systems that alert users to the position of the dumbwaiter within the shaft, should there be an issue. Finally, most dumbwaiters feature a key lock that disables usage during off-times.