The Oregon City Municipal Elevator is a

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

which connects two neighborhoods in Oregon City in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. It is the only outdoor municipal elevator in the U.S. and one of at least 8 in the world.Matt Hickman,
8 Extraordinary Public Elevators
" ''Treehugger'', June 05, 2017 The upper portion contains an observation deck which accounts for its

flying saucer A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has g ...

appearance. There have been two elevators at this location. The current elevator was built in 1954–55,Bella, Rick (October 5, 1989). "Getting a lift out of life". ''The Oregonian'', p. B3. and it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2014.

Geography of Oregon City

The city of Oregon City includes dramatic changes in elevation. The city's central business district is sandwiched between the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

and a

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

cliff, and is only several blocks wide. At the top of the cliff lies another neighborhood.

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

trails negotiating the cliffside were used originally to connect the two areas beginning with the founding of the town in 1829. Numerous stairways were built in the mid-1860s, but a better transportation solution was needed.

Initial elevator

Oregon City Municipal Elevator mural original elevator P1331

The original elevator that was constructed in this area was built as a means of transportation for the residents in the city. The alternative option before the build, would have been walking the stairs from the base to the top of the cliff which consisted of 722 steps. The first bond issued "A public elevator at the bluff". A bond measure to raise $12,000 for construction was put to voters in July 1912. This levy failed, but a second

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

passed in December of the same year. Sara Chase was the owner of the planned building site, but refused to give up her property for the elevator. After the city went through the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The elevator opened to the public in 1915, delayed by politics. The original elevator was

water-power Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a wa ...

ed and took three minutes for the ride. The elevator took three years to build and was constructed out of wood and steel. When the elevator stopped working during the ride, passengers would have to exit through a trap door that had a narrow ladder where the passengers would climb down to safety. Located at the top of the elevator was a catwalk that extended 35 feet stretching across and connecting the elevator to the cliffside. The elevator was so popular that most of the cliffside stairs were removed. The elevator was converted to electric drive in 1924, which reduced the time to 30 seconds. After many years of use in the 1950s it was decided that the elevator would be replaced with a new one.

Current elevator

Oregon City Municipal Elevator top overlook P1348

Oregon City Municipal Elevator lower entrance

After 40 years of service, a replacement was authorized by a $175,000 bond by a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

held May 1952. The specifications called for the design to be "as plain as possible, without ornament". The new elevator, designed by Gordon E. Trapp, engineered by Ervin Aksel Sööt, and manufactured by

Otis Elevator Otis Worldwide Corporation ( branded as the Otis Elevator Company, its former legal name) is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and related equipment. Based in Farmington, Connec ...

, featured push-button operation and automatic doors, and shortened the ride to about 15 seconds. It was dedicated May 5, 1955 and remains in service today. The machine room was upgraded with a digital controller in 2004. The elevator essentially serves as 7th Street, as both entrances (top and bottom) are on 7th Street, a major thoroughfare on both ends. It's also known as Elevator Street, the only vertical street in North America. The lower entrance is at the intersection of 7th Street (

Oregon Route 43 Oregon Route 43 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the cities of Oregon City and Portland, mostly along the western flank of the Willamette River. While it is technically known by the Oregon Department of Transportation as the Osweg ...

) and Railroad Avenue; a short pedestrian tunnel runs under the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

tracks, and into the elevator itself. The upper entrance is accessed from High Street, a short distance from the intersection with 7th Street and Singer Hill Road (a road which descends the side of the cliff, connecting 7th Street on the top with 10th Street on the bottom). The upper level includes an observation deck, from which one can see

Willamette Falls The Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall on the Willamette River between Oregon City, Oregon, Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon, in the United States. It is the largest waterfall in the Northwestern United States by volume, and the seventeen ...

, the Oregon City Bridge, and the

Abernethy Bridge The George Abernethy Bridge, or simply Abernethy Bridge, is a steel plate and box girder bridge that spans the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon, United States, and which carries Interstate 205. It is also known as the O ...

. The elevator formerly had an operator, but due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

the elevator has since become self-service. It is open 7 AM to 7 PM, Monday and Tuesday; 7 AM to 9:30 PM, Wednesday through Saturday; and 10 AM to 7 PM on Sundays. There is no charge to use the elevator. It was carrying an average of 500 people per day as of 1989, and by 2008 this had grown to nearly 800. Ridership is as high as 1,300 people per day during the city's summer tourist season. The "Illuminate Oregon City" project turned the elevator into a massive video screen, showcasing video and images from area sites. The video mapping program was slated to run until 2015.

References

External links

{{commons category, Oregon City Municipal Elevator
Oregon City Municipal Elevator
at city's Department of Public Works web page 1915 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Oregon City, Oregon Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places Individual elevators Landmarks in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Clackamas County, Oregon Public transport by mode Transport infrastructure completed in 1955 Transportation buildings and structures in Clackamas County, Oregon Tourist attractions in Clackamas County, Oregon

Geography of Oregon City

Initial elevator

Current elevator

See also

References

External links