Today, elevator operators remain only in a handful of historic buildings, serving as a nod to tradition and tourism rather than necessity. The role, once essential, has otherwise vanished from modern use.

Mr. Waclaw Kalata, 63 years old, has spent over 30 years as an elevator operator at the Fine Arts Building in the United States. (Source: Chicago Sun-Times)

A once-ubiquitous profession

The first steam-powered elevators emerged in the early 1800s, paving the way for hydraulic and electric elevators in the 1870s and 1880s. As these advancements spread, they quickly became the standard for commercial buildings, and each elevator required a dedicated operator.

These early elevators operated manually, meaning every function—opening and closing doors, controlling movement—was handled by skilled operators. With elevators installed in residential buildings, offices, department stores, hotels, and tourist attractions, the demand for operators rose sharply. This created a demand for well-trained elevator personnel skilled in safe operating procedures.

By 1940, over 90,000 elevator operators were working across the United States alone.

Images of elevator operators in New York City from the year 1929. (Source: Cool Past Pic)

“Step up”, “Step down”, “Close the door” or “Please mind your step” – such phrases echoed constantly within every elevator cabin back in the day. The operators’ main responsibilities were to open and close the doors to allow passengers in and out and to ‘drive’ the elevator from one floor to another using a manual hand crank.

While this work might seem simple, it required considerable skill and experience to manage the elevator’s speed, ensuring the cabin could stop smoothly and safely. The entire operation depended on a manual control device known as a rheostat lever, essential for adjusting the elevator’s speed and direction.

Manual Elevator Crank of Otis Elevator Company at the Fine Arts Building, USA. (Source: Chicago Sun-Times)

Operating an elevator requires operators to master the timing and precision to ensure the elevator floor and cabin are perfectly aligned for passengers to enter and exit safely. If the crank is turned too quickly, the elevator may overshoot the intended floor, and the operator must carefully adjust it to bring the cabin back to the correct level.

Therefore, elevator operation is a crucial skill that ensures a smooth ride, making passengers feel safe and comfortable.

Elevator ladies

The role of an elevator operator goes beyond simply transporting passengers to their desired floors. The true value of elevator operators lies in their ability to serve as a public relations face of the building or company they work for. They often represent the building, greeting customers and residents with friendly words every day.

Some department stores later combined the role of elevator operators with that of a concierge, where they not only operated the elevator but also acted as guides, providing information about the products on various floors and announcing special promotions within the store. 

This dual role highlighted the importance of elevator operators as key figures in creating a welcoming environment, blending practical duties with customer service functions.

Female Elevator Operators at Marshall Field, 1947 (Source: Life Magazine, September 1947)

Initially, elevator operator positions were primarily filled by men. However, during World War I (1917), the shortage of available men led to the hiring of women to replace them in these roles.

After the war, when men returned, they were no longer interested in the repetitive, confined nature of the job, leading to a shift in the workforce. From that point onward, elevator operator positions became predominantly occupied by women.

During World War II, white women remained in this role. A 1943 article in Life magazine even described elevator operation in a hotel as “a wartime job.”

Appearance also played a crucial role, with some female elevator operators taking courses to improve their social skills, from graceful walking and proper posture to grooming and makeup—based on the beauty standards of the time.

Marshall Field & Co., the largest department store in Chicago at the time, recognized that a pretty face could attract more customers than a dull one. As a result, they enrolled their female elevator operators in an eight-week beauty training program to enhance their charm and appeal.

The training program for female elevator operators also included lessons on proper posture and etiquette while working (Source: Life Magazine, September 1947)

Female elevator operators in training learned makeup application and voice modulation for clarity and pleasantness. (Source: *Life Magazine*, September 1947).

The elevator attendants before and after attending the skill training course. (Source: Life Magazine, September 1947).

With the advancement of science and technology, the first automatic elevators, which no longer required an operator, were invented and introduced in 1887 by Alexander Miles, an African American inventor.

Subsequently, after World War II, Otis Elevators developed the “Electronic Automatic Elevator System,” a system that only required passengers to select a floor. The elevator would then automatically close the doors and take them to their desired level without the need for an operator.

Alexander Miles was the father of the first automatic elevators. (Source: Lamelson-MIT).

Despite this innovation, the role of the elevator operator was still maintained. You can easily imagine how unfamiliar the concept of “automatic elevators” must have seemed back then, much like the concept of self-driving cars today. The main issue with the lack of trust in automatic elevators stemmed from user habits and safety concerns.

However, all of this changed after elevator operators went on strike, causing New York City to experience a “paralysis” and lose hundreds of millions in tax revenue.