Car Design 4009 for an Elevator Car for the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office, Charleston, SC
"Car Design 4009 for an Elevator Car for the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office, Charleston, SC"
By Graves Elevator Company, 1896
Approved by William Martin Aiken
Pencil, ink, and watercolor on tracing paper
12 3/4" x 19
National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Public Buildings Service

Post Office Designs: Charleston, South Carolina
During the late 19th century, iron was frequently used as decorative as well as structural material. Some designers fashioned grillwork for elevator cabs and cages by combining lines, vines, flora, or abstract shapes into intricate patterns. Often, as seen here, the name of the company, agency, or other identification was worked into the decorative scheme. Although the elevator was well publicized during its demonstration at the 1853 New York World's Fair, it did not gain popular acceptance until the 1890s.

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