ELEVATOR WORLD New York is EW's free monthly newsletter focusing on vertical-transportation news in the Greater New York Region. Contact the EW Editorial Department to submit news or the EW Advertising Department to advertise and reach more than 3,500 subscribers in the New York area.
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SCHINDLER AWARDED 31-UNIT MODERNIZATION CONTRACT AT GENERAL MOTORS BUILDING |
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The General Motors Building; image courtesy of Schindler
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Schindler announced on August 12 it has been awarded a contract to modernize 31 elevators at the iconic 50-story General Motors Building at 767 Fifth Avenue at the southeast corner of Central Park in Manhattan. The Schindler PORT destination-dispatch system will be incorporated to improve traffic flow and provide additional security. The project entails a complete overhaul of the elevator system, including the original machines and core mechanical components, with the Schindler team installing new controllers and electronic infrastructure. Owned by BXP and occupying a full city block, the General Motors Building was completed in 1969 and today houses notable tenants including the Estée Lauder Cos., York Capital Management and a subterranean Apple store featuring an iconic glass cube plaza. Vikén Martarian, a member of Schindler's Group Executive Committee responsible for the Americas, said the company is proud to play a role in ensuring the property "remains a top-tier commercial icon in Manhattan."
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BENFIELD ELECTRIC CONGRATULATES DEFRANCESCO ON HIS RETIREMENT |
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New York's Benfield Electric and Elevator Supply Corp. congratulates Robert DeFrancesco (Bobby Dee) on his retirement this year after 64 remarkable years. Throughout his career, DeFrancesco served on boards of the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) and the Elevator Conference of New York (ECNY). He chaired NAEC's Convention Exhibit Committee, served as Supplier Committee chairman, helped establish ECNY's Supplier Showcase and Dinner Dance and played a major role in raising scholarship funds for generations of industry families. A staunch believer in the power of relationships, his dedication to the industry earned him numerous honors, including the NAEC President's Award, the William C. Sturgeon Distinguished Service Award and many others. Ask anyone who attended an ECNY event, especially during the early years, and they will likely remember Bobby Dee making his unforgettable entrance — riding up from the basement on an elevator to welcome the crowd. Before the night was over, chances were good he'd find a microphone and sing some Sinatra. "We celebrate not only an extraordinary career, but a leader, mentor, ambassador and friend whose legacy will continue to shape the elevator industry for years to come!" — submitted by Benfield Electric
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Celebrating Bobby Dee at a recent Supplier Showcase; image courtesy of Benfield Electric
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SKYLINE ELEVATORS PROVIDES 10-UNIT SYSTEM FOR NEW BRONX TOWERS |
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Brooklyn-based Skyline Elevators tells ELEVATOR WORLD it provided a 10-unit elevator system for 355 Exterior Street — a two-tower residential complex designed by Hill West Architects and developed by The Lightstone Group in Mott Haven, the Bronx. The system consists of three three-stop machine-room-less elevators; two overhead-traction elevators traveling at 500 ft/min and making 30 stops with ESI controllers; three overhead-traction elevators traveling at 800 ft/min and making 42 stops with MCE controllers; and two freight elevators. Slated for completion before the end of 2026, the two towers will include 714 rental units within 720,785 ft2, 10,630 ft2 of commercial space and 325 enclosed parking spaces, New York YIMBY previously reported. At 437 ft, the taller of the two towers will be the tallest structure in the South Bronx and in the borough, grabbing the title from River Park Towers that stand 428 ft.
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355 Exterior Street; image courtesy of Hill West Architects
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G-TECH ELEVATORS FOR NEW SOHO RESIDENTIAL TOWER |
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130 Lafayette Street, designed by Marvel; image via New York YIMBY
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G-Tech Elevators, based in Linden, New Jersey, tells ELEVATOR WORLD it is providing two passenger elevators for 130 Lafayette Street in Soho, Manhattan, a 25-story residential tower designed by Marvel and developed by Trammell Crow. Both traveling at 500 ft/min, one elevator has 3500-lb capacity making 27 stops and the other 2500-lb capacity making 26 stops. Both have BTS Elevator Package packages with GAL door equipment, Imperial machines, Monitor fixtures and Elevator Controls controllers. New York YIMBY reported in early July the red brick structure had passed the halfway mark ahead of anticipated completion in early 2028. The property will yield 99 rental units, 1,817 ft2 of ground-floor retail and landscaped terraces atop three setbacks on the 15th, 20th and 24th floors.
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IN MEMORIAM: GREGORY D. DECOLA (GREG DECOLA SR.) |
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Gregory D. DeCola (Greg DeCola Sr.) of Congers, NY, a lifelong elevator man in NYC who was passionate about the profession, passed away on July 27 at age 89. Described as an elevator industry "legend," DeCola Sr. was the father of Greg DeCola Jr. of VDA and grandfather of Greg DeCola III of Start Elevator. The senior DeCola began his elevator industry career in the 1950s when demand for commodities like steel dropped after World War II, leading to the closure of the New Jersey mill for which he worked. He soon found a professional home with State Elevator (later acquired by Otis), where he worked his way up from helper to mechanic to foreman to, eventually, supervisor. A witness to a sea change in both industry safety standards and technology, DeCola retired after a long career that saw him transition into elevator consulting and inspecting. A natural athlete and avid sportsman, DeCola played softball well into his 70s. He was an active member and past-president of the Sons of Italy Rockland Lodge 2176. "Above all, he was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend and will be missed by all who knew him," his obituary states. In lieu of flowers, donations in DeCola Sr.'s memory may be made to the Gregory DeCola Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of Sons of Italy Rockland Lodge 2176, P.O. Box 223, Blauvelt, NY 10913.
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(l-r) Greg DeCola Jr., Greg DeCola Sr. and Greg DeCola III
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BRASS SQUEEGEE HELPED FREE MEN FROM STUCK ELEVATOR ON 9/11 |
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A humble brass squeegee belonging to window cleaner Jan Demczur played a key role in saving the lives of six strangers trapped together on an elevator in the World Trade Center’s (WTC) North Tower on 9/11, the New York Post reports. As the elevator rose to the 67th floor, American Airlines Flight 11, piloted by al-Qaeda terrorists, plowed into the tower at 8:46 a.m., causing the elevator to free fall approximately 15 floors before stopping near the 50th floor. Demczur and his fellow passengers found themselves facing a solid wall. Demczur quickly grabbed the squeegee from his bucket and began pecking at layers of the drywall in a circular motion, with others joining in by punching and kicking the drywall until there was a hole large enough for them to crawl through. They landed in a restroom, where firefighters implored them to leave. The North Tower collapsed 5 min after the men had rushed down 50 flights of stairs and exited the tower. Demczur reunites with two of the men as part of National Geographic’s new documentary series, “9/11 Reunited,” which premieres on August 21.
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IN MEMORIAM: GEORGE R. DEERING |
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George R. Deering, a longtime elevator man and U.S. Navy veteran, passed away on August 6 in Hamilton, N.J., at age 85. Don Gelestino, founder and chairman of the board at NYC's Champion Elevator, described Deering as "a longtime colleague and dear friend," going on to say:
"My story with George began 40 years ago when I was a young kid starting out in an industry that would ultimately become my life's work. George was my first boss at DECO Elevator, and neither of us could have imagined then that we would continue working together for the next four decades — DECO Elevator, Ver-Tech Elevator, Unitec Ver-Tech and Champion Elevator. We watched companies grow and change, saw the elevator industry transform, experienced successes and challenges and shared more conversations, projects, stories and laughs than I could ever count. I became friends with George's children and, over the years, those relationships extended to their children and grandchildren. It became a friendship between families across generations. It is difficult for me to imagine the elevator industry without George because, quite simply, I have never known this industry without him. Rest in peace, my friend."
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FOUR OTIS ELEVATORS FOR NEW CONEY ISLAND APARTMENT BUILDING |
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Otis tells ELEVATOR WORLD it provided a vertical-transportation system consisting of four Gen3TM Edge elevators and Otis ONETM Pro — the company's highest-tier cloud and Internet of Things maintenance package — for Coney Island III, a new 11-story, all-affordable apartment building at 1709 Surf Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Earlier this summer, New York YIMBY reported the building, designed by S9Architecture and developed by BFC Partners in collaboration with local housing authorities and Goldman Sachs, had topped out. The third and final phase of the Coney Island West Master Plan, it will yield 420 rental units. The entire development will have 1,242 homes along the waterfront directly across from Maimonides Parks, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones minor-league baseball team. Completion of Coney Island III is set for 2028.
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SKYLINE ELEVATORS PROVIDES VT SYSTEM FOR NEW BROOKLYN BUILDING |
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Detail of the striking façade; photo by Michael Young for New York YIMBY.
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Brooklyn-based Skyline Elevators tells ELEVATOR WORLD it provided a vertical-transportation (VT) system consisting of two machine-room-less elevators with Imperial machines and ESI controllers for 498 Columbia Street, a new eight-story residential building recently completed in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Designed by Aufgang Architects and developed by Express Builders JB Inc., the 275,992-ft2 structure yields 371 rental units and a 69,409-ft2 community facility, as well as a 10-vehicle parking garage, according to New York YIMBY. Its façade is a mix of bright red, tan and gray brick surrounding a grid of black-framed windows. A second phase of the project, also an eight-story building designed by Aufgang Architects, is set to rise at 35 Otsego Street and be completed in March 2029.
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CAMPIONE PROMOTED TO CONSULTANT AT LERCH BATES |
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Anthony Campione, based in the NYC area, has been promoted from associate consultant to consultant at Lerch Bates Inc. Prior to working for Lerch Bates, Campione served as a new installation sales executive at Fujitec and modernization project manager at Schindler. Before to joining the vertical-transportation industry, he managed projects for architecture firms including RSC Architects in Hackensack, N.J., and Sargenti Architects in Paramus, N.J. Campione holds a BA in architecture from the New York Institute of Technology. On announcing his promotion at Lerch Bates, Campione said he has “learned a lot, worked on some amazing projects and had the chance to collaborate with some great people” as he looks forward to taking on new challenges.
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MAZZIE JOINS TEI GROUP AS MAINTENANCE MANAGER |
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After four years as a Service Operations superintendent with TK Elevator (TKE) in Manhattan, John Mazzie has joined NYC-headquartered TEI Group as Maintenance manager, TEI and Mazzie announced in July. Mazzie said he is grateful for the "opportunities, experiences and relationships that helped me grow both personally and professionally" at TKE. Prior to his vertical-transportation industry career, Mazzie served as lighting project manager for Broadway National in Ronkonkoma, NY, and a lighting design and proposal engineer with Johnson Controls in the NYC area. He holds Liberal Arts and Sciences degrees from both Nassau Community College and Seminole State College of Florida. As a Manhattan-based employee of TEI, Mazzie said he "looks forward to meeting new people and contributing to the team."
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METRO ELEVATOR WELCOMES NEW DIRECTOR OF MODERNIZATION |
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Metro Elevator recently welcomed Cynthia Garrett, a vertical-transportation industry veteran with more than 24 years' experience, as director of Modernization. She joins Metro Elevator from Schindler, where she held roles including area commercial manager and director of service/modernization projects in the NYC metropolitan area over the past six-and-a-half years. Previously, Garrett held sales and account management roles with Schindler and Otis in the NYC, Boston and Washington, D.C., areas. Garrett has a BS in marketing and psychology from the University of Maryland — Robert H. Smith School of Business and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business.
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THREE NEW ELEVATORS BY MODERN ELEVATOR FOR HISTORIC BROOKLN MTA STATION |
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Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled three new elevators at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Borough Hall subway station in Downtown Brooklyn in July, in celebration of Disability Pride Month, her office announced. MTA tells ELEVATOR WORLD that Modern Elevator manufactured and installed the units, which are part of major accessibility upgrades bringing the 118-year-old station into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under Hochul’s leadership, 160 stations have become fully ADA accessible. The upgraded section of Borough Hall serves the 4 and 5 trains and approximately 22,000 riders each day. Additional ADA improvements included new boarding areas and an accessible employee bathroom. The project also included roof, lighting, fire-alarm, plumbing and drainage improvements, along with restoration of the original 1908 historic tile mosaics from the Interborough Rapid Transit Co.
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Borough Hall station's original tile mosaics from 1908 are also being restored; photo by GeneralPunger for Wikipedia.
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51ST ANNUAL POP JOE GOLF OUTING SPONSORSHIPS AND SPOTS GOING FAST |
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Earlier this week, Elevator Conference of New York, which helps organize and host the 51st Annual POP Frohlinger JOE Marchese Golf Outing, set to take place rain or shine on September 8 at the Brookville Country Club in Glen Head, New York, said a few pin flag and tee marker sponsorships are still available, as well as eight golf spaces. The typically sold-out event, known affectionately as the POP JOE, includes a full day of golf, dinner and awards. It typically draws representatives of industry organizations — ECNY; National Elevator Industry, Inc.; National Association of Elevator Contractors; NAESA International; and countless New York area elevator companies and organizations. This year’s honoree is Joel Frohlinger.
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SKYLINE ELEVATORS SYSTEM FOR NEW BROOKLYN RESIDENTIAL BUILDING |
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343 Himrod Street; image courtesy of NYC Housing Connect
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Skyline Elevators tells ELEVATOR WORLD it provided two machine-room-less elevators with Imperial machines and ESI ES2 controllers, which Skyline's David Wertzberger said is "a great product," for 343 Himrod Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, an eight-story residential building for which the affordable housing lottery launched in July, according to New York YIMBY. Designed by ND Architecture & Design and developed by Chaskel Landau, the property yields 75 residences with amenities that include a dog park, a gym, children's playroom, co-working space, game room, rooftop terrace, sundeck, barbecue grills and a prep kitchen.
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POP/JOE Memorial Invitational Outing
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NAEC 77th Fall Convention & Exposition
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September 28-October 1, 2026
For more information
visit naec.org
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Editorial submissions, reprint permission requests and subscription/removal requests should be sent to the ELEVATOR WORLD Editorial Department. EW New York editorial staff: Angela C. Baldwin, Kaija Wilkinson, Kathleen Farrell and Lindsay Fletcher. The EW Editorial Calendar can be downloaded here. ELEVATOR WORLD New York is a registered trademark, and all rights are reserved. Copyright 2026 © Elevator World, Inc.
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