The Oregon City Municipal Elevator is a 130-foot (40 m)[1] elevator which connects two neighborhoods in Oregon City in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the only outdoor municipal elevator in the US[2] and one of only four in the world.[1] The upper portion contains an observation deck which accounts for its flying saucer appearance. The elevators history dates back to the late 1800's and the ride has always been free. "Elevator Street" (7th Street) is the only vertical street in North America. The original elevator was water-powered and took three minutes for the ride. 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 40 years of service, a replacement was authorized by a $175,000 bond by a special election held May 1952. The specifications called for the design to be "as plain as possible, without ornament".[5] The new elevator, designed by Gordon E. Trapp, engineered by Ervin Aksel Sööt, and manufactured by Otis Elevator, featured push-button operation and automatic doors,[1] and shortened the ride to about 15 seconds.[3] It was dedicated May 5, 1955 and remains in service today. The elevator has an operator. It is open 6:45 AM to 7 PM, Monday through Saturday; 11 AM to 7 PM Sunday #Clackamas_County #elevator #Main_Street #municipal_elevator #Oregon_City
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