Simple elevators or hoists were as early as the third century B.C., usually powered by

man, animal or water.

 

In 1843, Joseph Dart of Buffalo, New York, invented the world's first steam transfer

and storage elevator. This bucket elevator (with a storage capacity of 55,000 bushels)

moved grain from boats to storage bins. For more information on Dart and his grain

elevator, click here*.

Patent drawing of Otis' elevator

Elevators were not considered safe for passenger use until Elisha Graves Otis

invented the "Improvement in Hoisting Apparatus" - not an elevator but a brake

system (still used in elevators today) which stopped the elevator from falling if the

hoisting rope failed.

 

In May of 1854, he demonstrated his new "safety elevator" at the New York

Exposition's Crystal Palace. Elevators became "safe" in the public eye for passenger

travel. Otis' invention made skyscrapers a practical reality.

 

On March 23, 1857, Otis Brothers & Company* (still in operation today) installed

their first steam passenger elevator in the five-story department store of Haughwout

& Co. on Broadway in New York City at a cost of $300.

 

By 1873, over 2,000 Otis steam elevators were in operation in America.

Otis demostrating his "safety elevator" at the 1854 New York Exposition.

 

Be sure to also visit The Museum for the Preservation of Elevating History* (The Elevator Museum).

Site Coordinator: Lori Niemuth

Last updated: December 27, 2007