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Going Up: Elevator Museum Opens In Long Island City
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jul 7, 2011
Modified Jul 7, 2011
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Photo courtesy Flickr user UniWatch
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By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jul 7, 2011
Modified Jul 7, 2011
Share
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A retired "elevator executive" is opening the city's first Elevator Museum in Long Island City, which he calls "the nexus of the elevator world." What can you expect?
Creator Patrick Carrajat has crammed some 4,000 elevator-centric items into the second floor of the Taxi Building at 21-03 44th Ave, including, but not limited to: antique meters and gauges, a collection of elevator postal history (including a complete set of first day of issue covers for the 5.3 cent elevator stamp), and a signed photo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in an Titanic-era elevator. The museum, which is free to the public, aims to show people the importance of preserving elevator history. "You read about polar bears being in distress," Carrajat said. "The same thing is happening to our elevator artifacts."
Here's a look at some of the offerings on display at the museum, and, should this whet your curiosity for the curious, here's a list of the top ten weirdest museums around the world, including a currywurst museum and a phallus museum. There's currently an online Elevator Museum based in Alabama, but this looks to be the only real-live museum dedicated solely to elevators in the country.
Elevator Museum // 21-03 44th Ave, St 206, Long Island City // 917-748-2328 // website
Tagged
curiosities
elevator museum
elevators
gallery
long island city
queens
Jamie Feldmar
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