I found this (undated, of course) buried amidst the massive amount of material that came over from the RMC recently. Are they trying to tell us that the elevator is broken?
There’s another one. This one makes me suspect that the inmates were running the asylum:
That sign was a daily outlet for the creative boredom of the RMC desk staff.
And yes, the RMC staff and inhabitants could very well have been characterized as the inmates.
Looking at the water spots and fogged glass makes me wonder if the first sign was used right after the 1976 flood, when the elevator and many other things were not working after the power was turned back on and people were using the building again. Everything was damp and musty for weeks, even in the upper floors. The elevator was out of service for quite some time, as water had gotten into the hydraulic cylinder and some sort of special corrosion inhibitor treatment was required.
The sign was also frequently anagrammed, as the RMC desk-sitters played with the extant character set to create a new message, after an event was over.
I recall the first sign, but not the second.
I met some great friends at that desk. I even dated a couple.