Abstract: An elevator system for a two storey building includes two carriages each of which is movable from the upper floor to the lower floor and which are mounted in a counterbalance arrangement so as to move simultaneously. The carriages are mounted upon a single central support between the two carriages and are carried thereby in cantilevered arrangement projecting outwardly from the sides of the central support. The whole of the weight of the structure is therefore transmitted to the base of the support to avoid necessity for reinforcement of the building structure. A door system includes four doors, two on each level. The doors are spring biased to an open position that can be latched closed. The latches are automatically opened so that the available carriage always has the door open. Opposed doors on the two levels are connected by lever mechanism so that as the door on the lower level is closed to close the carriage, the door on the upper level is also closed to close the carriage present at that level.