Triskaidekaphobia… The Fear of The Number 13… and The 13th floor.

When was the last time you were in the elevator with a building that had more than 13 floors?

Did you happen to pay attention if there was a 13^th floor?

Well, it is still considered in some parts of the world bad luck to have a 13^th floor and has been the subject of numerous books, movies and tv shows.  When skyscrapers were being developed in cities such as Chicago and New York at the turn of the 19 century, architects warned developers not to exceed more than 13 floors because it would lead to increased congestion, lower property values and cast sinister shadows on the grounds below.  The origin of this practice is not known.

Some of the methods developers would use to have a 13^th floor without calling it the 13^th floor include labeling it as 12A, “M” for a Mechanical floor or as an amenity such as a pool.  And more times than not and still to this day, developers will skip the 13^th floor entirely and go directly to labeling the next floor the “14^th” floor.

According to surveys taken of hotel guests, a small percentage of guests have disclosed they would feel uncomfortable staying on the 13^th floor.  However, studies have also show that if guests received a significant enough of a discount, for example during a hotel stay, they would consider a room on the 13^th floor.

Needless to say… there are some buildings that no longer believe in this conspiracy theory and those that still do.  Would you want to work or stay in a hotel on the 13^th floor?

P.S. I took this picture when I was showing homes to a client in an apartment building on Lake Eola.