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All the United States New York State New York City Queens Surreal Elevator
AO Edited

Surreal Elevator

Nondescript elevator doors open to reveal a stunning, surreal world.

Queens, New York

Added By
Gerard Nolan
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  tylercole / Atlas Obscura User
  csmall2000 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Elevators could not be more predictable. Though some have ornate interiors and others have spare, utilitarian insides, they're hardly surprising. That's what makes this elevator in a former Macy's warehouse in Long Island City so remarkable.

The experience of entering this elevator is one of being thrust from the quotidian to the surreal in an instant. As the drab doors open, a swirling, psychedelic panorama appears, deep reds and an organic shape that resembles more of a cave full of wonders than a vessel to deliver you from floor to floor.  Textures and mirrors trick the eye, making it seem much bigger on the inside, and small mechanical monsters poke their heads out of hiding holes in the walls and ceiling.

The erstwhile Macy's warehouse building once catered to the art scene, and the elevator is what's left of what used to be an entire building decorated in tart installments of the same surreal style. The current owners have remodeled the building to operate as a more typically conservative-looking office space, but the wonderfully bizarre elevator remains. 

Related Tags

Elevators Outsider Art Small Worlds And Model Towns Optical Oddities

Know Before You Go

The elevator is in a private office building known as "The Factory," so access is not guaranteed and should be checked in advance.

When entering the Factory the elevator is in the back of the building elevator 11.

Community Contributors

Added By

Gerard Nolan

Edited By

Rachel, Martin, tylercole, NickP...

  • Rachel
  • Martin
  • tylercole
  • NickP
  • joelasala
  • icatsstaci
  • csmall2000
  • Anna Minster

Published

December 3, 2013

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  • http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=4450#more-4450
  • http://www.thefactorylic.com/neighborhood/
Surreal Elevator
30-30 47th Ave
Queens, New York, 11101
United States
40.742863, -73.936332
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