Revised (1)

The lift must have been four hundred years old, or at least a skillful reproduction of a classic design. It was all hinged and latticed steel, plastic buttons and lino flooring--devoid of reassuringly modern composites or flickering sensors. I reached for the cage’s sliding door, but stopped, my hand an inch away.
Weren't these old elevators cages suspended on just thin cables?
"It is perfectly safe, Mr. Roussos. It's serviced regularly." The voice echoed around the warehouse's dark stairwell. A metallic twang--a lack of modulation--had me glancing about the gloom, in vain, for a sensor strip.
"Mr. Violix?" Is that you?"
"Yes, Mr. Roussos. My studio is on the tenth floor. If you

[This message has been edited by skadder (edited August 18, 2009).]

One thought:

I agree with alliedfive about where to start.

You also have an opportunity for more description. Instead of 'some rust', you could say 'when I spotted rust running along the top of the ironwork', or something like that. 'Some rust' doesn't tell us if it's really rusty or if this guy is being a wuss because of a small spot of rust and he is uncomfortable with things that aren't shiny and new.

Just my thoughts.