Surprising reason 13th floor is currently missing from many NYC buildings
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/ANGELA WEISS
Have you ever been in a New York elevator and noticed that it's missing a 13th floor?
It's not unusual to be adverse to the number 13. After all, it has many negative and superstitious connotations - and apparently they even extend into real estate, too.
In fact, missing the 13th floor is a common occurrence in New York, and there's an interesting reason why.
A StreetEasy study from 2020 found that out of 629 residential buildings in New York City, over 90 percent are missing a 13th floor, instead calling it a different name, such as '12A'.
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Meanwhile, Otis Elevator explains that 85 percent of its elevators in the city have left out a 13th-floor button, instead skipping from 12 to 14 and using the missing floor for storage instead.
Omitting a 13th floor might also suit property developers and hotel owners, too, with a 2007 Gallup poll revealing that (ironically) 13 percent of respondents said they would feel 'uneasy' staying on the 13th floor.
TV host Andy Cohen spoke to the New York Post about his West Village duplex, which jumped from floor 12 to 14.
“I lived on 12 and 14 and it was weird enough for me to get my head around it,” he said.
“But imagine trying to explain it to my kids and they learned to count!
"That being said, it’s undeniable that 14 sounds better than 13. It’s a conundrum any way you slice it.”
So why is floor 13 missing in so many buildings?
Andrew Alpern, architectural historian and attorney told the Post: “I know that there are a lot of people in this world, for who knows what crazy reason, feel that the number 13 is unlucky.
“But nonetheless, there are lots of people who avoid the number 13.
“From the point of view of any builder, the owner is interested in renting the space, and he doesn’t want anything to get in the way of that. So 13 goes out the window.
“There had to be someone who started it. Maybe a landlord discovered that people wouldn’t rent an apartment on the 13th floor. So he cut it out.
"Then a second landlord copied him, and eventually it just became a custom — sort of like putting two potted evergreens by the front door or using a green awning. It’s one of those New York things.”
Undivided Real Estate explains that there could also be a religious element, too, as well as 'triskaidekaphobia'.
They explain: "There isn't a clear explanation for why the 13th floor is bad luck. Some say it dates back to the Bible, as Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper.
"Others say it's because there are only 12 months in a year, so 13 represents unfamiliarity and the unknown.
"Regardless, the fear of the number 13 is very real and even has its own word - triskaidekaphobia.
"That's why many buildings omit the number 13 and some home shoppers will avoid any units with the unlucky number."
Despite this, there are some famous buildings in NYC with 13th floors, such as the Flatiron Building and the Empire State Building.