A Massachusetts city is home to one of the country’s oldest working elevators. “They were working on this elevator when the Titanic was sailing,” Arthur Motta said.Motta works with the communications department at New Bedford Public Schools but also finds himself in the role of local historian. “New Bedford has a really unique sense of place,” he said.According to Motta, New Bedford’s current City Hall was once its library, built in 1856. In 1906, the current library, which was then City Hall, caught fire. City officials decided to switch the purposes of the buildings and expanded the new City Hall in a $450,000 project. It was completed in 1912. That expansion included a large, manually operated elevator you can still ride in today. “Ok, let’s go for a lift!” Motta said, entering the elevator. The operator closes the doors, pulls the lever and begins the ascent from City Hall’s ground floor.“It also has an enormous counterweight in the west wall, like a grandfather clock, and that helps lift the cage,” Motta said as the elevator came to a stop with a slight bounce. Motta claims you can’t get claustrophobic in this elevator, as that cage gives you a 360-degree view of your trip up and down City Hall. “It’s purported to be the oldest continuously operating public elevator in the country — so they say!” he said. According to the city, the custom-built elevator cost $4,626 — inflation calculators estimate that to be worth around $147,000 today. The front of the elevator is outfitted with New Bedford’s official seal — an image with its own story. “The city seal, it's motto is luciem diffundo,” Motta said. “In Latin, that means ‘I diffuse light’ or ‘I spread light.’ And that refers to whale oil.”New Bedford was once the whaling capital of the world. From its harbor, whaling expeditions would search the waters of the world for whales, the blubber from which would distilled into oil used in lamps to light America. Watch to learn more about New Bedford’s whaling history here: “The second thing was, the city was pretty much founded by the Quakers, Society of Friends,” Motta said. “And they called themselves the Children of the Light. They believed everyone had an inner light. And, if you were a proper Quaker, you would spread your inner light to others.”Motta said the elevator now continues to display that history while it takes visitors on a ride through the past. “Very 1912 technology,” he said, “but also, very effective.” The elevator remains in operation daily, guided by an operator, to take you to your destination. Watch to learn more about New Bedford's unique history here:
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. —
A Massachusetts city is home to one of the country’s oldest working elevators.
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“They were working on this elevator when the Titanic was sailing,” Arthur Motta said.
Motta works with the communications department at New Bedford Public Schools but also finds himself in the role of local historian.
“New Bedford has a really unique sense of place,” he said.
According to Motta, New Bedford’s current City Hall was once its library, built in 1856. In 1906, the current library, which was then City Hall, caught fire. City officials decided to switch the purposes of the buildings and expanded the new City Hall in a $450,000 project. It was completed in 1912.
That expansion included a large, manually operated elevator you can still ride in today.
“Ok, let’s go for a lift!” Motta said, entering the elevator.
The operator closes the doors, pulls the lever and begins the ascent from City Hall’s ground floor.
“It also has an enormous counterweight in the west wall, like a grandfather clock, and that helps lift the cage,” Motta said as the elevator came to a stop with a slight bounce.
Motta claims you can’t get claustrophobic in this elevator, as that cage gives you a 360-degree view of your trip up and down City Hall.
“It’s purported to be the oldest continuously operating public elevator in the country — so they say!” he said.
According to the city, the custom-built elevator cost $4,626 — inflation calculators estimate that to be worth around $147,000 today.
The front of the elevator is outfitted with New Bedford’s official seal — an image with its own story.
“The city seal, it's motto is luciem diffundo,” Motta said. “In Latin, that means ‘I diffuse light’ or ‘I spread light.’ And that refers to whale oil.”
New Bedford was once the whaling capital of the world. From its harbor, whaling expeditions would search the waters of the world for whales, the blubber from which would distilled into oil used in lamps to light America.
Watch to learn more about New Bedford’s whaling history here:
“The second thing was, the city was pretty much founded by the Quakers, Society of Friends,” Motta said. “And they called themselves the Children of the Light. They believed everyone had an inner light. And, if you were a proper Quaker, you would spread your inner light to others.”
Motta said the elevator now continues to display that history while it takes visitors on a ride through the past.
“Very 1912 technology,” he said, “but also, very effective.”
The elevator remains in operation daily, guided by an operator, to take you to your destination.
Watch to learn more about New Bedford's unique history here:
