University Library houses hidden escalator
Written by Nicole Delsanter Tuesday, 28 June 2011 17:19
The third floor of the University Library is host to a hidden curiosity: an escalator that leads to nowhere.
The escalator from the second to third floor in the University Library has been abandoned since 1984. For the past 11 years it has been used as a storage closet for printing supplies.
When the University Library opened its doors in 1970, there was originally an escalator that ran from the second to the third floor.
Today, the escalator is still there, directly above the escalator that runs from the first to the second floors. Unlike its counterpart, the abandoned escalator does not run and is blocked by drywall at its base.
“As far as I know, it was installed whenever the building was erected,” said John Nader Sr., electronic technician for the University Library. “At that time, Kent State had one of the largest 16mm libraries in the country, and students had access to the third floor.”
The escalator was blocked off in 1984 when the executive offices were moved from Rockwell Hall to the second floor of the University Library.
“They closed it off because it created an annoyance and traffic flow problem,” said Frances Burkert, library assistant. “It ran right into the executive’s suite, and there was no reason for that.”
Today, the third floor houses library administrative offices and the School of Library and Information Sciences. This leaves little reason for the general population to access the third floor.
Nader said the landing at the top of the escalator was converted into a break room, and shelves were built at the bottom to store printer ink.
John Nader, photocopier services manager at the University Library, stands on the abandoned escalator that runs between the second and third floors. Nader has used the space as a storage room for printing supplies for 11 years.
More recently, construction crews made space for more second floor offices by pushing a wall back into the base of the escalator. The old break room on the third floor is now used to store old TV carts and printer cartridges.
Nader said some of the old parts on the escalator were used to replace parts on the running escalator on the first floor.
In the past, the university discussed possibly removing the old escalator, Nader said, but it would have been very costly.
“It’s pretty much just a black hole,” he added.
Contact Summer Kent Stater reporter Nicole Delsanter at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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written by Jim , June 29, 2011
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written by Elizabeth Hagan, June 29, 2011
There was something called the Graduate card Catalog that was on the first floor. This was understandably confusing to users.
After some years, all catalogs were consolidated to the first floor along with Reference. It was a few years after that that Audio Visual Services moved into the empty space on the third floor. Due to the way the AV facility was designed, with the escalator coming right up into it, there was a concern over security of the AV collection and their large cash revenues at the time. So they shut it down. It was not enclosed at the bottom until some years later when the Executive Offices wanted to expand.
I would think the Library archives of the Kent Stater would have the dates for when all these changes occurred.
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written by Coach Factory Store, June 29, 2011
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