Because we are elevator enthusiasts (geeks?!) we collect vintage parts from elevators we are modernizing. The bronze car station from the days of person-operated elevators is one of the prize pieces in our kitchen. As I was waiting for my coffee to brew the other day I was flicking the switch shown in the photo below back and forth and it dawned on me the switch was still working the same as the day it was originally installed. This would have been about 90 years ago! It is amazing to think that back-in-the-day things were manufactured with a life of almost 100 years. Compare that to today’s throwaway tech, where when a washing machine breaks down in 5 years it is cheaper to repair it than replace it.
