Elevating Elevators

A visit to the Macy's in downtown Brooklyn is generally a dispiriting experience. It's usually empty and devoid of life, and the interior has been dully done up to look like the faceless inside of any department store in American.

One section of the ground floor, however, retains its grace and charm: the elevators. Located in the center of the store, this bank of Art Deco lifts appears to have been untouched since the store's days as Abraham & Strauss. The main building was built in the 1920s and 1930s, when Art Deco was king. The detail is quite amazing (but not matched inside the elevator cars, unfortunately). The Macy's people don't do much right, but they're kept this bit of glory up nicely.

The clock hanging overhead is smart, too. And it works.