Watterson Towers - Elevator System

Elevator System

Watterson's unique design prevents it from having traditional elevator service, that is, the eight elevators that operate in the building do not stop at every floor.

• There are five residential elevator stops. Each is at the 3rd-floor breezeway of one of the following pairs of houses:

(A). Smith-Jefferson

(B). Monroe-Randolph

(C). Adams-Pickering

(D). Marshall-Clay

(E). Madison-Van Buren

However, only around 10% of Watterson's residents live on a 3rd floor. Nonetheless, other residents also get off the elevator on the 3rd floor, but then take stairs to their floor—up or down—a maximum of two flights. For example, a resident who lived on Clay 4 would get off at the Marshall-Clay Breezeway and then need to walk up one flight of stairs to reach her room.

• In addition to the residential stops, elevators also bring residents to Service Level and Formal Lobby Level, and Informal Level. The Service and Formal Lobby levels both provide access to ground level exits, as well as the dining hall, Watterson Commons. The Informal Level, which is the topmost level accessible to residents, is the location of laundry facilities. Students can check out keys to music practice rooms, some with a piano available. It also provides observers with the highest observation deck in the state outside of the city of Chicago.