More than 150 years of experience goes into every elevator.

Otis has been making residential elevators since the late 1800s.

At New York’s Crystal Palace during America’s first world fair, a man shocked the crowd when he dramatically cut the only rope suspending the platform on which he was standing.

The platform dropped a few inches, but then came to a stop. His revolutionary new safety brake had worked, stopping the platform from crashing to the ground. “All safe, gentlemen!” the man proclaimed.

The man riding the hoist was Elisha Graves Otis, the founder and namesake of our company. Mr. Otis sold his first safe elevators in 1853. Later, Otis pioneered the home elevator market.

Today, Otis still stands as the world’s leading elevator company, with more than 60,000 employees serving customers in nearly every country on earth. Thanks to their dedication, you can ride Otis equipment with confidence, knowing that it represents more than 150 years of experience in both safety and quality.