Early tall building designers fearing a fire on the 13th floor or fearing tenants superstitions about the rumor decided to omit having a 13th floor listed on their elevator numbering.
Do elevators have a 13th floor.
Based on an internal review of records the otis elevators company estimates that 85 of the buildings with their elevators do not have a named 13th floor.
What has happened in history to create such a stigma about a 13th floor.
Indeed if you re staying in a hotel there s a good chance your elevator will magically lift you from the 12th floor to the 14th.
Today 85 percent of elevator panels don t have the number 13.
In 2002 based on an internal review of records dilip rangnekar of otis elevators estimated that 85 of the buildings with otis brand elevators did not have a floor named the 13th floor.
Is it just superstition.
I ve found that in general the older buildings typically omit the 13th floor while more modern ones do not.
Hotels are simply labeling the floor differently in the few places where these businesses label the levels.
You won t find it on the panels and you won t find it in the stairwells.
Whether you re a lifelong new yorker or a tourist stopping by you ve probably noticed that not many buildings in nyc have a 13th floor.
Therefore hotels are not leaving out the 13th floor.
While the 14 th floor is actually the 13 th floor for obvious structural reasons guests seem to take comfort in the fact that the number 13 is not mentioned at all.