While McKim designed Morgan’s Library in an Italian Renaissance style and adapted ancient Greek construction techniques, the building was very much a contemporary creation. The Otis Elevator Company installed an electric engine in the cellar and created an elegant passenger car to the architects’ specifications. Electrical fixtures were added to the car by the firm Edward F. Caldwell & Co. More than a century later, the elevator is still used by staff.
Otis Elevator Company
Specifications for Standard Electric Passenger Elevator for J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library, 13 June 1904
New-York Historical Society, McKim, Mead & White Architectural Collection