Otis Elevator, Antique Control Handle Otis Elevator, looks like it reads B28. Antique Manual Crank Control Car Switch Complete. Heavy metal at close to 12 3/4 pounds. 4″ deep x 10 1/2″ tall with handle x 9 3/4″wide.
What makes this one unusual is condition, nice and crisp, and not all worn down, compared to few others we seen. At first looks NOS imagine that. The bottom of unit where it sits on/mounts the conduit line coming in I see paint scraped off a bit and see what looks like clean bare metal underneath. Only issue I see is the screw/bolt is missing that holds the conduit in place. Viewing the electric-in mount missing paint I’m guessing stripped and repainted. You see what I see! You would be hard pressed to find a cleaner unit.
This looks and feels cast iron and magnetic. Wood handle works and pulls up and turns right and left very easily.
3 screws remove cover but you will need to have correct size drivers. Found some fun reading about this famous company from the great Wikipedia at bottom!
Has light scratches, scuffs, little paint loss and still looks awesome! Cool historic find! Selling as collectible only, but if you want to install it good luck. Don’t think you’ll find a cleaner one.
The booming elevator market
In 1852 Elisha Otis invented the safety elevator, which automatically comes to a halt if the hoisting rope breaks. After a demonstration at the 1853 New York World’s Fair, the elevator industry established credibility.
Otis elevator in Glasgow, Scotland, imported from the U.S. in 1856 for Gardner’s Warehouse, the oldest cast-iron fronted building in the British Isles.
The Otis Elevator Company was founded in Yonkers, New York, in 1853 by Elisha Otis. When Elisha died in 1861, his sons Charles and Norton formed a partnership and continued the business. During the American Civil War, their elevators were in high demand due to the shipment of war materials. Businesses throughout the United States purchased them. In 1864, with the partnership of J.M. Alvord, the company became known as Otis Brothers & Co. In 1867, Otis opened a factory in Yonkers, New York, the city where the company was founded.
In 1925, the world’s first fully automatic elevator, Collective Control, was introduced. In 1931, the company installed the world’s first double-deck elevator in New York City.
Otis opened a factory in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1965.
Fayette S. Dunn became president of the company in 1964, succeeding the late Percy Douglas.
