Installations of Interest

As of 1999, Elevator Concepts LTD has over 1700 installations throughout the United States. Most of them are fairly standard, but we love to do custom units. We invite you inquiries on custom elevators. To give you an idea of our capabilities, here are summaries of a few of our more interesting projects.

Stafford's Bay View Inn, Petoskey, MI

One of our first commercial installations, this project was largely responsible for many of the design features of the Type I basement traction. Stafford's is one of the oldest hotels in Michigan, located in the Bayview community around Petoskey. Because the hotel is on the National Historic Register, the owners wanted an elevator that would impact the building as little as possible. It is also about 200 feet from Lake Michigan! Some of the features that were developed in this project: Low overhead; shallow pit; pit based equipment and controls, 120 VAC main supply. The cab featured oak wainscot panels and bronze light covers.

Gateway Arena, Cleveland, OH

Part of the centerpiece of downtown Cleveland's rebirth, Gateway Arena has an unusual Tiger Lift located in a lounge with a "neo-industrial" decor. The elevator has a bright red interior with a steel diamond plate floor, custom tubular handrails, and a scissor gate with an automatic closer. The elevator is a Type I basement traction equipped with an SCR drive, and was installed by Access Elevator.

Cruise Ship

A custom designed Type IV overhead traction is the basis of a special cart lift on the ship. Mechanical equipment had to conform with ASME 17.1 Section 22, and electrical equipment had to comply with Coast Guard regulations. Installed by Otis of Florida.

Coronado Naval Base, Coronado CA

This unit was developed for a prototype Navy specification, and became the basis of our Type IV overhead traction unit. This unit utilized a microprocessor, one of the first applications of a microprocessor in small elevators. Stainless steel was utilized extensively in the interior. Installed by Atlas Elevator.

Target Stores

The Target Division of Dayton-Hudson purchased 24 Type III hydraulics during their expansion in the early 90's. We have elevators in Target Stores in Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. Texas installations done by Home Elevator of Texas.

Prison, Detroit MI

This unique elevator transports prisoners from the top floor to the rooftop recreation area. It is based on our Type I basement traction unit, and required counterweight safeties. The cab is entirely constructed of laminated stainless steel, with vandal resistant construction. The elevator controls are tied into the security system. There is a video surveillance camera in the car.

CEO of Domino's Pizza

This elevator is a standard Type III direct hydraulic, but with an extraordinary cab. The owner is a fan of the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the elevator interior was designed in that style. Exotic hardwoods with a great deal of millwork were required, all of which were fabricated in house. The fixtures, sills, and handrails were all made from a custom bronze alloy which was then finished by the rubbed oil method.

Harbor House, Southaven, MI

This elevator is a standard Type I basement traction equipped with fire service, retiring cams, escape hatch, and car top operation. This was the first commercial project designed to comply with the ASME 17.1 code Section 2.

Laminate Plant, Indiana

This is a special Type IV overhead designed for reaching a maintenance deck in a plastic laminate manufacturing plant. The car is only 3' x 3' with a custom gate, upper and lower escape hatches, and industrial duty fixtures. This elevator travels almost 90' at a speed of 100 FPM. We supplied a temporary skip hoist for the installation of the elevators. This elevator was installed by Michiana Lift Equipment.

East China Township Sewage Treatment, East China Twp, MI

This was the first elevator we ever built, and one of the most unusual. It is a winding drum machine, with the drum located at the top of the hoistway sitting on the guide rails. The elevator starts at grade level, and goes 30' underground to the service level for several very large pumps. It has waterproof wiring and fixtures, a special cab with a bifold gate, upper and lower escape hatches, and special communications equipment.

Chairman of Stroh Brewery, Grosse Pointe, MI

This was the second elevator we ever built. The owner had planned for an elevator when the house was designed, but equipment in the basement under the hoistway area precluded a hydraulic elevator. Low overhead ruled out an overhead machine. We designed a remote traction machine and several deflectors to accommodate the site. The cab featured mahogany woodwork and muntz metal fixtures, designed to match the interior of the owner's yacht.

Organ lift - Fox Theater, Detroit, MI

When the Fox Theater was renovated, we designed a new lift for the organ. We utilized the existing screw jack and machine, and designed a new carriage, track system, and controller for the 2 ton Wurlitzer organ console.

Cart Lift, Private Residence - Bloomfield, MI

The garage and main residence are connected by an enclosed walkway that has about 10 steps. In order to move items to and from the garage, we designed a special hydraulic lift, designed primarily to accommodate a shopping cart. It travels about 5 feet, and can be operated by remote control. It has a special heating system to make sure it will operate to -20 degrees.

Heritage Harbour, Wyandotte, MI

These luxury condominiums are located right on the Detroit River. The high water table required our Type V roped hydraulic. The cab features a special metallic laminate trimmed with mahogany, milled in our shop.

Private Residence, Bloomfield, MI

This contemporary residence is located on a lake. Glass is used extensively throughout, including the hoistway. The owner wanted an elevator that would appear to run without any mechanical equipment. Due to the water table, we decided on a 3 stage telescoping hydraulic cylinder. All switches ride with the car, which is completely fabricated from plexiglas. All exposed metal parts are painted white with Imron aircraft paint. The roof of the cab is a custom molded 1 piece pyramid. The entire car is outlined with Tivoli lights, and is visible from the lake at night.

Freight Lift, Family Market, OH

This elevator is really a vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC). Stanley Elevator of Toledo Ohio asked us if we could build something that met the VRC specification for this job, and we took it on. The nature of the building required an extremely long cantilever of 64". Our tubular frame design was ideal, allowing for maximum weight, minimum deflection, and just a 4" ramp