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In 1885, the Chicago Home Insurance Building was the tallest in the world and had four elevators
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Otis Opened Elevator Factory
September 20, 1853
Today the elevators in Chicago's 1,127-foot John Hancock Center soar upward at 1,800 feet per minute! With the introduction of steel frame construction, the skyscraper became possible. The 10-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built in 1885, was considered the world's first tall building, requiring four elevators. The 1913 Woolworth Building (792 feet) boasted 26 elevators; the 1931 Empire State Building (1,250 feet) required 58. With new and taller buildings, business at the Otis Elevator Company, later run by Otis's sons, rose steadily.
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