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E.W. Haughtwhat & Company Department Store
1 2017-12-19T19:47:25-08:00 Ray Li d76adcdbc48db5fec180c24315aed43f8b9d5f75 14634 3 Courtesy of the Library of Congress plain 2017-12-19T19:52:31-08:00 Ray Li d76adcdbc48db5fec180c24315aed43f8b9d5f75This page is referenced by:
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First Elevators
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By Ray Li
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2017-12-19T19:55:48-08:00
The first public passenger elevator was installed in a five story E.W Haughtwhat & Company department store in 1857. Although it did not garner much excitement from the public, the store’s inclusion of an elevator convinced Henry Hyde that “employing them [in] office buildings could be made more profitable and commercially sound.”[1] In 1870, Hyde’s Equitable Life Building became the first skyscraper to have elevators.[2] The systems in both buildings were designed by Otis Brothers & Co.
When the Equitable Life Building opened its doors, the mentality regarding upper floors completely changed. Upper floors were now considered more desirable as there was less “annoyance from the noise and dust of the street” and more light and pure air.[3] Buildings that had trouble with finding tenants for their upper floors found that they could solve the problem by installing elevators. The success of the Equitable Life Building was quickly recognized by many other companies and architects.6[1] Weisman, Winston. "New York and the Problem of the First Skyscraper." Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 12, no. 1 (1953): 13-21. doi:10.2307/987622.[2] Bernard, Andreas. Lifted: a cultural history of the elevator. New York: New York University Press, 2014.[3] "THE NEW BUILDING OF THE EQUITABLE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, NO. 120 BROADWAY." New York Tribune, Jan 22, 1875, 7.
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