Space Bank

I began my computer career at Space Bank in Memphis Tennessee, an early motel reservation system for brands other than Holiday Inn.

Our IBM mainframe used a 2703 interface to the teletype lines to each hotel, and when a replacement was rolled into the elevator to transport it up to the fourth floor computer room, the elevator sank four feet. Fortunately for all, the cable didn’t snap, the old unit was similarly removed, and life went on.

There was talk of the building owner suing IBM for damage to the suspension cables, but I distinctly recall IBM’s Field Engineers in charge of the installation verifying the weight limit before the attempt. I presume nothing would’ve come of a court case.

Regardless, we walked up the four flights of stairs to our offices for many days after.