DANVILLE —
Daniel Coffey always wished to be a rodeo cowboy when he was little, but ended up in a profession almost as unique — and he still wears his cowboy hat every day.
Coffey, 51, is the operator of the manual elevator in the Adams Building at 139 N. Vermilion St., which is believed to be the only public elevator like it in town.
Coffey reports to work each day with a mission of transporting Adams Building clients who come to do business there to their proper destination.
Those wanting to have their teeth cleaned by staff at Dr. Mary Ellen Grilly’s office on the fifth floor don’t press number 5. They have just one button option, which sounds like a classic intercom buzzer. Once pressed, Coffey soon appears, opening the elevator door and welcoming them inside his 4-foot by 4-foot vintage capsule.
The main gadgetry he uses to adjust where the lift will land is a rotating black handle, much like a ship captain’s wheel.
Roll it to the left and the elevator goes up. Swing it to the right, and your group is going down.
“You just got to guess from your height to the level off the floor,” Coffey said. “Each floor is a little different.”
Coffey has had 12 years to get the feel of the elevator, but said it didn’t take him long to learn after boss and owner of the Adams Building, Ken Krause, brought him on board.
He said Krause “showed him the ropes” of the elevator and the building. The Adams Building was built in 1918 and is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Coffey not only operates the elevator, but also cleans and does maintenance on the aging building. Marble steps cascade along the interior, gigantic vaults or safes sit on each floor, and a postal service chute hangs on the wall from the first to fifth floor. These are just a few of the distinct traits found inside, along with the manually-operated elevator.
The operator said most riders are friendly and appreciative of the elevator, but some new to the old style form of transport are wary.
“Some of them are terrified, but I make them feel comfortable,” Coffey said. “It is very safe. We’ve never had any trouble with it.”
Krause confirmed and said people don’t get “stuck” in these elevators, only new ones.
“Like any elevator, it takes servicing and we have it serviced,” Krause said. “But the inspector says it’s as good or better than any modern day elevator. And there’s never been an accident since it’s been built.”
Krause said the five-story building currently has four businesses in it. Three full floors are empty, with 4,000 square-feet that can be rented whole or split.
A second elevator exists and operates in the building, too. It’s mainly used for deliveries and when the main elevator is being serviced.
“That one is a little rougher, but it’s a lot prettier,” Coffey said.
The operator says he likes everything about his job and hopes to retire doing this.
“I wouldn’t want any other job,” Coffey said.
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