Christmas Present: Elevator Parts

Parts of the elevator were delivered today. No need to worry: professionals will be doing the assembly.

Getting Ready on the Inside

In this video you can see the removal of the former handicapped access door. The interior is being prepared for the installation of the elevator coach in January.

!CAUTION! HOLE

Here's a simple formula: take a newly constructed elevator shaft and add in an elevator carriage that has not yet been delivered and you get.....

Just Waiting for Riders

Work was recently done on the sidewalk around the elevator entrance. It now looks like you can walk right in and take a ride, but we just have a little longer to wait. We expect the elevator coach to be delivered on Christmas Eve. The month of January will be spent assembling, installing, testing, and certifying the coach. We hope to open the doors to our first riders just before February 1st.

More Happening Than You Think

While we wait for the delivery of our elevator coach, work continues on some final details.

 

There will be a call button next to the lobby entrance. For now, it makes a great cat toy.

A view of the outside entrance to the elevator lobby.

This is the mechanical room which will house the elevator equipment when it arrives. The location was created out of former office space in the basement of the Albright.

Project Delayed Due to Elevator Delivery

The November 22nd issue of The Scranton Times-Tribune contained an article on project delays due to the delivery of the elevator coach. In the meantime, work continues. In the photo below you can clearly see a small lobby, newly constructed, where elevator riders will be able to wait for a coach without having to suffer the elements.

Facade Almost Complete

You can see from this photo that the installation of the facade for the elevator enclosure is almost complete. Every effort has been taken to make it match, as closely as possible after almost 120 years, the original stone used in the construction of the Albright.

The Forbidding Door

The photos below were taken during the day so why does it appear to be midnight outside? Solar eclipse? Some kind of terrible cataclysm? Well, no. Darkness is simply proof that the elevator enclosure has been completed. We are now waiting for the application of the facade and the delivery of the elevator itself. In a matter of weeks, this door, formerly the rear handicapped entrance, will be replaced by an elevator stop.

Proof that it is truly daytime. The outside elevator entranceway provides a glimpse of the contruction site.

First Signs of Facade

To use a metaphor that a librarian would love, we have the book in hand. Now we need to cover it with a dust jacket. With the elevator enclosure intact, workers began constructing the facade. In this photo you can see the red shale stones that will cover the lower part of the elevator enclosure and which closely match the brown medina base stone found on the Albright.

Elevator Shaft Almost Finished

The elevator shaft itself is nearing completion.

Unusual view of the top of the shaft as taken from the roof of the Children's Library.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wandering Windows

Today windows were removed as preparations continue for the 2nd Floor elevator entrance.



The windows, once removed, were temporarily propped against the microfilm cabinet. Note the reflection of the tracery window.



A worker removes the window from the 2nd Floor.

The window openings were covered with plywood to keep out the cool air and pigeons. Note the reflection of the tracery window on the cabinet. The shadow in lower portion of the reflection is either a hard-hatted construction worker with big ears or a lighthouse. We suspect the former.

"Good Job, Don!"

Today the contractor, in the person of "Don," broke through the wall into the 2nd Floor. This means that, for the first time in its 119 year history, the 2nd Floor of the Albright will soon be accessible to those who cannot climb the stairs. Check out these videos. In the inside video, note the patch of light that appears below the window (soon to be removed).

Elevator Enclosure Takes Shape

The elevator enclosure is making a rapid ascension.

Next Stop: First Floor!

The elevator shaft is now lined with cinder blocks up to the ground level.

 

 

Going Up!

With the base of the shaft in place, workers began construction of the shaft itself. It will only go up from here.

Century Old Newspapers Found in Wall

When workers removed a basement window frame, they found rolled-up copies of The Scranton Times from late 1910 stuffed behind the wooden slats. It is believed they were intended to serve as insulation.

Newspaper with the gloves used by a librarian to extract it from the wall.

This issue is dated November 12, 1910

The issues were found behind wooden slats. Here you can see a newpaper peaking out.

Outside Looking In / Inside Looking Out

Yesterday workers poked a hole in the foundation of the library (intentionally). An opening into the basement will allow the elevator mechanism to interact with the elevator itself and provide basement access for authorized elevator riders. (The library's basement area is used for staff offices.)

Worker admires his handiwork by peering into the basement from outside.

The hole expanded quickly. The photographer is inside looking out.

First Signs of Shaft Construction

First it was demolition. Then it was excavation. This week we made the official transition to construction as workers began pouring concrete for the base of the elevator shaft. From here the only way to go is up.

The base of the elevator shaft takes shape.



The library received a shipment of cinder blocks for the shaft.

Sounds of Progress

When you tell people you work in a library, the two things you hear most often are "You must get to read a lot of books" and "It sure must be quiet." Both are, of course, myths, but these days at the Albright "quiet" is especially scarce. This audio file gives you an idea of the sonorous sounds our patient patrons and staff have been enjoying recently. (Also available as a  .wav file if that is your preference.)




This is the culprit.



 

...but it is all worth it. This is a drawing of the proposed elevator structure.

 

Video Tour of Construction Site

We hope you enjoy this video tour of the elevator construction site.

Longer Walk when "Nature Calls"

When you are involved in a construction project, some days are..well....just crappy. One casuality of the excavation is our old sewer pipes. Broken pipes have, intermittently over the last few days, taken the Albright restrooms out of service. Luckily for those in need, restrooms are still available in the basement of the Children's Library.

This sign has gotten a lot of use lately.

You wouldn't want to cool off in this water.

New pipes mean everything will be alright in Albright.

Article on the Elevator Project in Scranton Times-Tribune

There is an article on the Elevator Project in today's (8/14/2012) Scranton Times-Tribune. You can see it here.

From Demolition to Excavation

The obvious hole in the ground tells us we have moved from the demolition phase to the excavation phase. The white translucent circle is a raindrop on the camera lens; proof that a few drops will not hold up the project.



Elevator Mechanical Room Takes Shape

An insulated wall was erected in former office space thereby creating the elevator's Mechanical Room. This room will also be used as a temporary work area for the contractors during construction.

New wall and contractor work area.

Detailed drawings are available for quick consulation by workers.

Ramp Removal and Handicapped Access

The handicapped access ramp, dating from the early 1990's, was removed on Friday. Handicapped computer access will be available in the Children's Library during construction. See the sign below for details.

Handicapped Computer Access:

Construction Begins (Aug 3, 2012)

Construction has officially begun. In these photos, you can see workers removing the ramp in the rear of the building. The door in the picture will also be removed today. The library will remain open during construction. Library patrons may continue to use the front entrance. Additional information on accessibility options during construction will be posted soon to this blog. In the meantime, this article in Go Lackawanna provides a good overview of the elevator project.



Moving Offices and Marking the Pavement

The first steps in the elevator project are not dramatic, but they are important in their quiet way. We had to juggle office space to make room for the elevator mechanicals. Also, new pavement markings in the back of the Albright indicate where the elevator shaft will go.

Elevator to the Second Floor

Since the Albright Memorial Library first opened its doors in 1893 and up through the present time, library visitors who were unable to climb stairs never got to see the library's majestic second floor which includes the Leonore Rice Reference Room and the Periodical Room. All of this will change soon when a handicapped accessible elevator is installed with an outside entrance and stops on the 1st and 2nd Floors. At the left is an architectural drawing of the proposed elevator.

Scroll down for photos. Keep checking this blog for updates on our progress and more details.

The photo below shows the location of the elevator in the rear of the building.

It will replace the current ramp.

The following photo depicts the location of the future elevator entrance to the Periodicals Room which is located on the 2nd Floor.