The Lift - A History of Vertical Conquest

The article describes the introduction of the lift in architecture: its technological development, and its integration in buildings. The author traces the history of the lift, from the work of Elisha Graves Otis in New York's first skeleton-frame structures in the mid-19th century to modern lift design. He also seeks to show the changing image of the lift in the course of time and the different attitudes that have existed towards vertical movement in the Old and New Worlds.