The first complete elevator machine in the United Sta
constructed in 1855, was a complex and inefficient
contrivance built around an oscillating cylinder steam
engine. The advantages of an elevator system
independent of the mill drive quickly became apparent,
and by 1860 improved steam elevator machines were
being produced in some quantity, but almost exclusively
for freight service. It is not clear when the first elevator
was installed explicitly for passenger service but it was
probably in 1857 when Otis placed one in a store on
Broadway at Broome Street in New York
In the decade following the Civil War, tall buildings had
just begun to emerge, and, although the skylines of the
world's great cities were still dominated by church spires
there was increasing activity in the developmer
The first complete elevator machine in the United
States, constructed in 1855, was a complex and
inefficient contrivance built around an oscillating
cylinder steam engine
It is not clear when the first elevator was installed
explicitly for passenger service, but it was probably in
1857 when Otis placed one in a store on Broadway at
Broome Street in New York N
In the decade following the Civil War tall buildings had
just begun to emerge, and, although the skylines of the
world's great cities were still dominated by church
spires, there was increasing activity in the development
of elevator apparatus adapted to the transportation of
people as well as of merchandise