Elevator History: From the Ground Up

Since the development of skyscrapers or establishments with multiple floors, the elevator is probably one of the best inventions humans have developed. Can you imagine yourself going up the 31st floor using the stairs? In this article, we will discuss the evolution of elevators from traditional ones to the one easy button push with more safety features.

 

Where it Started

An elevator is a platform raised and lowered in a vertical shaft to ferry people and freight. The post includes a piece of operating equipment, motor, cables, and accessories. First elevators were used as early as the third century B.C.E. and were either human-operated, animal, or water wheel power.

In 1743, professionals created a counterweighted, a man-powered personal elevator for King Louis XV that connected his apartment in Versailles with his mistress, Madame de Châteauroux, whose room was one floor above his own.


The 19th Century Elevators

In the mid-19th century, they used steam-operated elevators to transport materials from factories, mines, and warehouses. In 1823, two architects named Homer and Burton built an "ascending room," as they called it.

They used this simple elevator to lift paying tourists to a platform for an expansive view of London. Meanwhile, in 1835, architects Frost and Stuart built the "Teagle," which developed a belt-driven, counterweighted, and steam-driven lift in England.

In 1846, Sir William Armstrong introduced the hydraulic crane, and by the early 1870s, hydraulic machines began to replace the steam-powered elevator. The hydraulic elevator is supported by a heavy piston, moving in a cylinder, operated by the water or oil pressure produced by pumps.

 

Elevator Breaks of Elisha Otis

In 1852, American inventor Elisha Otis transferred to Yonkers, New York, to work for the bedstead firm of Maize & Burns. It was the owner of the company, Josiah Maize, that inspired Otis to start designing elevators. Maize needed a new hoisting device to lift heavy equipment to the upper floor of his factory.

In 1853, Otis demonstrated a freight elevator equipped with a safety device to prevent falling in case a supporting cable broke. This increased public confidence in such instruments. In 1853, Otis established a company manufacturing elevator and patented a steam elevator.

For Josiah Maize, Otis invented an "Improvement in Hoisting Apparatus Elevator Brake" and demonstrated his invention to the public at the Crystal Palace Exposition in New York in 1854. During the demonstration, Otis hoisted the elevator car to the top of the building and then deliberately cut the elevator hoisting cables. However, instead of crashing, the elevator stopped because of the brakes that Otis had invented. While Otis did not create the first elevator, his brakes, used in modern elevators, made skyscrapers a practical reality.

In 1857, Otis and the Otis Elevator Company began manufacturing passenger elevators. The Otis Brothers installed a steam-powered passenger elevator in a five-story department store owned by E.W. Haughtwhat & Company of Manhattan. It was the world's first public elevator.

 

The Invention of Electric Elevators

The German inventor Werner von Siemens created the first electric elevator in 1880. Black inventor Alexander Miles patented an electric elevator on Oct. 11, 1887.

The significant advances in electronic systems during World War II made many elevator designs and installation modifications. Space elevators use the same concept as the classic elevator. Professionals will use them to transport people to space stations. Theoretically, this concept can extensively reduce the cost of putting a person into space.


Elevators Today

Modern commercial buildings commonly have multiple elevators with a unified control system. In addition, all modern elevators have distinctive override controls that make elevators go directly to a specific floor without intermediate stops. They also have fire-rated ceiling access panels for easy access to the mechanism if it needs repairs.

Elevators now also have safety features that return people to the ground floor in case of sudden power interruptions, unlike older elevators that can get stuck if there is a sudden power outage.


Takeaway

It is truly unique how the world is constantly changing and innovating. With thorough research, further testing, and some failures with more motivation, inventors can create different mechanisms that make life easier and more efficient.

If you're looking for quality access panels for your commercial building, then you're in luck! Here at Access Doors and Panels, we offer a wide range of access doors and panels that can fit any of your construction projects. Call us at (800)-609-2917, and we will be happy to help you throughout the process!