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Oregon City Municipal Elevator, Oregon City

4.4
#1 of 50 in Things to do in Oregon City
Must see · Historic Site · Tourist Spot
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The Oregon City Municipal Elevator is a 130-foot (40 m) elevator which connects two neighborhoods in Oregon City in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the only outdoor municipal elevator in the U.S. and one of at least 8 in the world. The upper portion contains an observation deck which accounts for its flying saucer appearance.

There have been two elevators at this location. The current elevator was built in 1954–55, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
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Oregon City Municipal Elevator reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
166 reviews
Google
4.7
TripAdvisor
  • This is a cool place to visit. Lots of history here. Also you can park either at the top or the bottom, and explore the historic upper part or the historic downtown part at the bottom. It doesn't.....  more
    This is a cool place to visit. Lots of history here. Also you can park either at the top or the bottom, and explore the historic upper part or the historic downtown part at the bottom. It doesn't.....  more »
  • Love the changing pictures in the waiting area on top. Attendant in the elevator is always friendly. Very convenient parking on the streets around the elevator. Makes easy access to the events... 
    Love the changing pictures in the waiting area on top. Attendant in the elevator is always friendly. Very convenient parking on the streets around the elevator. Makes easy access to the events...  more »
Google
  • A little bit dirty at the bottom but when we got to the top there was a great view of the city and tons of information. Walking the stairs back down is really nice too. There is a beautiful landscapes waterfall.
  • This is an old landmark of Oregon City. The lookout has been there far longer than the elevator. There are lenticular photographs depicting what was and how the local landscape has changed...some for the worse...such as waterfalls destroyed by manufacturing. They run along the breadth of the half circle, concrete wall. The view is beautiful at some angles. You can see the small bridge, built in 1922, from overhead. There are some concerning cracks and signs shoring up is soon needed in the floor but it appears stable for now. It is interesting to read how the elevator was originally steam powered and took over three minutes to ascend. There are also 722 steps you can take instead. I did the first time I saw this lookout. A smooth, wheelchair friendly, downward sloped ramp feeds pedestrians under the train tracks and into the face of the elevator. There is no cost to enter and sometimes there are people on hand for questions or to explain facts, such as dotted outlines depict what once was and no longer is, as well as telling you about the lady of the mansion who fought the elevator as it was built in front of her palatial abode.

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