why don't most buildings have a 13th floor?

Answer 1

they do

Answer 2

The hospital is like that where I live that is one of the few places i've noticed the floor was skipped


While some high-rises skip the allegedly unlucky floor, many buildings aren't so superstitious.

The Empire State Building, one of the most famous buildings in the world, has a 13th floor. And, according to its official site, the whole thing is available to lease.

This article from USA Today explains that Fairmont hotels in Acapulco, Quebec City, and Vancouver don't have a 13th floor. Interestingly, Fairmont hotels in other cities do. The article goes on to mention that decisions regarding whether or not a building has a 13th floor usually rest with the building contractor.

The photo-sharing site Flickr offers a few photos of elevators without a button for the 13th floor. However, the site also has plenty of pictures of elevators with a 13th floor button.

We don't have all the figures, but we suspect that more buildings have a 13th floor than don't. Why? Because not all cultures consider the number 13 to be unlucky. Wikipedia, a great resource but one to be taken with a grain of salt, mentions that "new buildings in some parts of China omit the fourth, fourteenth, twenty-fourth, etc. floors, as the word 'four' sounds like "death" in Mandarin." Spoooooky.

Answer 3

Because thirteen is thought to be an illfated number. It is believed Jesus was Cruxified on Friday, the thirteenth, there were thirteen men in his company when he was arrested (including himself) but I suspect that even in Jesus time, 13 was considered somehow illfated.

However, that is only part of the reason. Skyscrapers are a modern phenemona. only withint he past 150 year have we been able to build large numbers of buildings past ten stories. In fact, before the elevator and Mr. Otis great invention of "Safety Brakes" for elevators, building size was more limited by the fact that most people don't want to talk stairs every day. Maybe once a year for ritual, but a fifth floor walk up is about the end of a personal endurance. In the 1890's, when higher and higher buildings became the wave of the future, people used to put 13th floors in their buildings and thougth nothing of it. it was the clients who forced the change. It was difficult to rent 13th floor space and some people were even uncofmortable passing the 13th on their way higher. So, eventually, all the thriteenth floors were renamed for the comfort of the customer.

Also, every building over twelve stories has to have a 13th floor - we just don't call it that. :)

Answer 4

Superstition is the main reason many buildings called the 13th floor the penthouse level. The fear of the number 13 goes back to the days of the inquisition.

On Friday the 13th in the year 1213 the entire order of the Templar Knights was hauled before the inquisition for crimes against the church. They met their fate in a most grusome manner. Since then the number 13 was thought of as being unlucky.

Answer 5

Some people feel that it is unlucky to have a 13th floor so they usually just name it 12 or 14.

Answer 6

Technically they do have a 13th floor its just called the 14th because peopl are superstitious. It isn't alsways true but I have been in several buidings that do nt have a 13 button in the elevator so its not just an urban legend

Answer 7

Superstition, it is generally said that the number 13 is unlucky and the some of the guys who run the buildings don't wanna take their chances...

Clearly some of you never pay attention to the buttons in the elevators of high rise buildings...

Answer 8

the number 13 is bad luck. Friday the 13th was supposed to be the day of jesus' crucifixtion right?

Answer 9

Superstition

Answer 10

it's a bad luck number.. most (all) hotels do not have a 13th floor.

Answer 11

It was considered unlucky back in the day