The Car Parking Machine

This contraption was filmed in Chicago in 1932. I'm sure at the time it seemed like a technical breakthrough, but for some reason, it wasn't replicated across the country. Sure, it takes up a smaller footprint than a parking lot, but it requires an attendant at all times, and any mechanical failure would not only cost an arm and a leg, but would also tend to strand drivers in the city. Anyway, it didn't take us long to figure out you could actually build parking lots with more than one story that held exponentially more cars and had no moving parts to maintain. (via Everlasting Blort)