New York has a lot to offer to visitors and residents. The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge are just a few of the famous features of the city.
There are many hidden gems in the city. If you are familiar with the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, you will know that Macy's at Herald Square is featured in the movie.
The escalators in the largest department store in the world are constructed with two different types of wood, all of which are still in use.
The escalators are numbered for certain reasons. The lower of the two floors is indicated by the first digit of the two digit number. The escalators which are featured in the photograph above are numbered 64 and 65, which are escalator lines four and five, which means that the left escalator descends from the seventh floor to the sixth floor.
These escalators were built between 1920 and 1930 by the Otis Elevator Company, which pioneered the machinery and still manufactures them, as Escalator was once a trademark of the company. The wooden sides and treads on the oldest escalators are from the early 20th century.
The elevator goes from the sixth floor to the fifth floor.
The escalators are made from single pieces of ash, which is a hardwood that is often used for flooring. The width is one-half inch. All of the treads were milling.
Most of the drive motor parts have been replaced. Modern safety measures have been added after a four-year-old boy lost a finger on an escalator while trying to retrieve a bottle of water.
This video shows what it's like to ride one of these escalators, and also shows the sounds that come from it.
Macy's is one of only a few operators left in the world that operate the rare escalators, and they seem to accentuate the historic nature of them.
You don't have to pay an admission fee to use the wooden escalators on the upper floors.
Macy’s Herald Square 151 West 34 Street New York, New York 10001
212-695-4400
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