Where do Otis elevators come from? The invention that has transformed life in the city

The cabin is made of dark wood, and the floor is worn. A metal grate surrounds it, which must be slammed shut before activating the mechanism and slowly climbing to the top. Hundreds of elevators like this one, built between the late 19th century and the Spanish Civil War, still stand in Barcelona's Eixample district. At least 1,200 survive throughout the city, according to the latest municipal inventory. If you go up and look closely, you'll see that many still bear the same name engraved somewhere in the cabin: Otis. It's the American company that has led the elevator industry for over 170 years. Every day, it moves some 2.4 billion people worldwide, services and maintains approximately 2.4 million elevators and escalators, and employs 72,000 people. In 2024, it closed the fiscal year with a profit of €1.578 billion, 17% more than the previous year.

Its elevators once climbed the pillars of the Eiffel Tower, passed through the heart of the Empire State Building, and now traverse the 828 meters of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world. But what has been the secret to a company founded in the 19th century reaching such heights? Who started it all?

A brake, the key discovery

In the mid-19th century, when elevators were still rudimentary and unsafe contraptions, an American craftsman named Elisha Graves Otis found a way to create a braking system capable of stopping the car if the cable broke. His solution addressed one of the major challenges of the Industrial Revolution: moving loads between floors without taking deadly risks. Otis's safety brake marked a turning point: it made vertical movement reliable and opened the door to a new way of building: cities began to grow upwards.

Orders began trickling in, but steadily. In 1854, the company sold eight elevators; the following year, fifteen. The symbolic leap came in 1857, when Otis installed the first passenger elevator in a five-story commercial building in downtown New York City. When Elisha Graves Otis died prematurely in 1861, at only 49 years old, the company did not stop. His sons, Charles and Norton Otis, took over, secured the patent for the safety brake, and professionalized the business. By the end of the decade, Otis was a firm with industrial ambitions and a clear strategy: technical innovation and commercial expansion.

The era of skyscrapers

From the 1870s onward, the elevator ceased to be merely a functional machine and became an aesthetic element as well: ornate cabins, interiors designed by cabinetmakers, and increasingly safe systems. The company introduced advancements such as the hydraulic elevator and began winning iconic contracts, from the United States Capitol to the leaning pillars of the Eiffel Tower.

In the 20th century, the introduction of gearless traction made it possible to overcome previously unimaginable height limitations and ushered in the era of skyscrapers. Buildings like the Empire State Building and, later, the Twin Towers, were constructed around Otis vertical transportation systems. Simultaneously, the company expanded its maintenance and service business, weathered the Great Depression, and accelerated innovation during the postwar period with automatic elevators, background music, and new safety solutions.

Digitalization and the future

Starting in the 1960s, Otis incorporated electronic control and, in the 1970s, pioneered microprocessor-guided elevators. Expansion into Asia, particularly China, made rapid urban growth its primary driver, while the service and maintenance business solidified as a key pillar. From 2000 onward, the company entered the digital age and focused its efforts on two essential concepts for the future of the industry: energy efficiency and predictive maintenance. Today, Otis operates in more than 200 countries, manages the world's largest elevator maintenance portfolio, and remains a vital component in the daily functioning of cities.