"They don't make parts for this thing anymore. We need to create parts."
After a year and a half of anticipation, the Hippodrome Theatre's famous manually operated lift elevator has been fully repaired and opened to the public after being closed for repairs.
Several Gainesville leaders and residents attended a small ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 22 to commemorate the reopening of the lift, which is the oldest historic elevator in Florida.
The elevator was installed in 1911 by the Otis Elevator Company. It was closed to the public in January 2024 over safety concerns and repair needs.
The price of repairs, more than $135,000, was funded by the city's portion of the Alachua County Wild Spaces and Public Places half-cent sales tax program.
Read more at the Gainesville Sun