Elevator at Old Higbee's Dept Store Cleveland.

[cnorman33]

aww man. This brings back memories because my grandma used to take me in those exact elevators.

[Tracymmo]

I can't believe how sad I feel from just seeing those old elevators! Kind of like the shot of the wooden escalators in "Christmas Story" each year. BTW -- I used to live in Europe in a building with this little old wooden Schindler elevator that was more like a phone booth with wrought iron around it. The stairs wrapped around it and you could see the workings, like in the old Cary Grant/Audrey Hepburn movie "Charade."

[StukInBuf]

@Tracymmo I recall similar old-style elevators in Brooklyn, NY at the A&S department store on Fulton Street. No sooner than the elevator door closed you started to WHOOOSH! to the next floor(s)!

Abraham & Strauss... now that store is a Macy's.

[retroman40a]

I lived in Phoenix for about 13 years,and it didn't have much to offer. It all went downhill when Higbee's sold to Dillard's and May Company to Kaufman's (now macy's)...  I do have a few pix of Higbee's downtown as it was on my Flickr page..

[iam70schick]

It's heartbreaking about Cleveland. I left Cleveland live in Phoenix now. I get homesick a lot for the old days (grew up in Collinwood in the 60's) went downtown to shop. Used to get dressed up to go. Rapid transit from Shaw/Hayden to Terminal Tower. Lunch downtown. Christmas decorations - out of this world - Sterling Lindner, etc. The movie houses downtown what a treat. My heart aches for those days. Cleveland is gone.

[realguy440]

I can hardly look at this. What a terrible loss we will never walk the old Higbee's store again as shoppers and then retreat to the 10th floor to dine in the magnificent Silver Grille. I mourn the loss of Higbee's more than any other loss Cleveland has suffered. I know we have to move into the future, but sometimes the past is just a bit more comforting. How can shopping at Walmart ever compare to the magificence of stepping into Higbee's and its sea of red carpet and crystal chadelier gradeur?

[boxer301977]

I to miss the old department stores Like May Company, Higbees, O'Neils and Polskys by closing them down they hurt Cleveland & Akron. All the Malls have died out and we are stuck shopping at Walmart. It doesnt compare to shopping at these clasic department stores.