‘Working as hard as we can’ | Houston senior apartment blames elevator company for delay in broken elevator repairs

KHOU 11 has been pushing for solutions for residents at Magnolia Place Senior Apartments, which currently has only one working elevator.

HOUSTON — Elevator problems continue to plague residents at Magnolia Place Senior Apartments in Sunnyside, but property representatives told KHOU 11 that full repairs could soon be in sight.

KHOU 11 has been reporting for months on broken elevators at Magnolia Place Senior Apartments. Currently, two of the building’s three elevators are out of service – one of them for about 10 months – leaving residents to rely on a single working elevator.

Broken elevators have become the norm at the complex, where many residents are elderly and have mobility challenges.

“It’s been months since somebody tried to do anything,” resident Patricia Allen said.

Allen, 81, said the outages have taken a toll on her health.

“I have COPD, and I live on the fourth floor. I cannot go up and down the steps, because it’s like right now, I’m kind of short of breath,” Allen said.

Apartment management told KHOU 11 they were waiting on elevator parts. While KHOU 11 was on the property Thursday, pushing for solutions, a representative for the property’s ownership group spoke about the ongoing issues.

“We’re working as hard as we can to get it done,” Bert Magill, general partner of One Mag Partners, LP, said.

Magill said the building had an extended warranty with elevator company Schindler, but he claimed that the company stalled and delayed repairs. As a result, the property terminated its contract and is now working with two independent elevator operators to try to get the job done.

KHOU 11 asked Magill if there was a timeline for when the elevators could be back up and running.

“That’s what I’ve been pressing everybody to do: give me a timeline, and once we accept the new company, we should be able to get the equipment in two to four weeks. And then installed in two to four weeks. So, eight weeks at the max — two months,” Magill said.

In the meantime, residents throughout the building have to continue sharing one elevator.

Houston City Councilmember Carolyn Evans-Shabazz said she learned about the situation through KHOU 11’s reporting and plans to stay involved with the property’s management and ownership.

“I thank you for bringing this to the light, to me and my office,” Evans-Shabazz said. “I did speak with them personally, and I intend to keep speaking with them until these elevators are all operating.”

Magill said once the immediate repairs are made to the elevators, there are also plans to fully refurbish all the elevators over the next few years.

KHOU 11 reached out to Schindler about the property’s claims that the company delayed its work. As of Thursday evening, Schindler had not responded.

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