Do Modern Buildings Have A 13th Floor

How could this legend about the unluckiness of the number 13 pervade even the hospitality industry.

Do modern buildings have a 13th floor.

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. Skyscrapers did not come about until 1885. For those astute observers out there you may have noticed that many hotels and office buildings don t have a 13 th floor. The company found that out of 629 buildings with 13 or more floors only 55 labeled the 13th floor as the 13th floor.

I lived on the 13th floor of the dorm building in new york. After being put on hold so the rep could gather info yes indeed the empire state building does have a designated 13th floor. As reported by the atlantic research conducted by cityreality the new york city based real estate listing site found that out of 629 apartment buildings in new york city with 13 or more floors a mere 9 percent actually labeled their 13th floor as well the 13th floor. These are mostly newer buildings which did away with the old superstition.

Even building owners who are not themselves superstitious realize that the desirability of units on the 13th floor might be compromised because of superstitious tenants or commercial tenants who worry about losing superstitious customers. 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. Management companies for the rest of the buildings according to the researchers found creative ways to mark the floor. But triskaidekaphobic architects are not usually to blame says chicago cultural historian tim samuelson for buildings that display the 13th floor as 14 12b or m mechanical on elevator button.

14 m or if 13 is the top floor ph. In some countries as it is here in the united states the number 13 is considered unlucky and building owners will sometimes purposefully omit a floor numbered 13. That means only 9 percent of the condos that actually have 13th floors label. Are we all that superstitious to the point of excluding a whole floor.

Some buildings do indeed have a 13th floor. The habit of leaving out the 13th floor in tall hotels is a relatively new one.