A historical attendant who manually controlled elevator cars from the 1880s through the 1950s; still found in a few luxury hotels and heritage buildings today.
Full Definition
Before automatic push-button elevators became widespread, elevator operators manually controlled elevator cars using levers or hand wheels. They announced floors, managed passenger loading, levelled the car with the landing, and opened manual gates or doors. The profession declined sharply after Otis demonstrated a fully automatic elevator at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, and accelerated following operator strikes in New York and other cities in the 1940s–50s. Today, elevator operators survive in a ceremonial capacity in some luxury hotels (e.g., The Savoy, London), heritage department stores, and select US courthouses and government buildings.
