The Superstition of the Missing 13th Floor in NYC
It might seem silly, but in New York City, the absence of a 13th floor in many buildings has turned into a sort of tradition.
Take Andy Cohen, for instance. He recently sold a West Village duplex for $10.5 million that, interestingly, doesn’t have a 13th floor. The stylish apartment boasts gold tiles and a sculptural staircase, plus killer views of the Empire State Building. Yet, its layout skips from the 12th to the 14th floor. Strange, right?
“I lived on the 12th and 14th, and it was odd trying to wrap my head around that,” Cohen shared.
In this particular residence, the kitchen and living areas are on the 12th floor, while the bedroom and office are on the 14th—once again omitting that peculiar 13.
Cohen mused about how tough it would be to explain this to kids learning to count. “It’s true that 14 sounds better than 13,” he noted. Yet, it’s a bit perplexing.
This issue isn’t unique to him; it’s been a common workaround for many developers. You ever step into an elevator and see the buttons for the 12th and 14th floors, but no 13th? It happens more often than you’d think. A 2020 StreetEasy survey revealed that of 629 residential buildings in NYC, merely 9% formally claim a 13th floor.
This means that over 90% either leap from the 12th to the 14th or disguise the 13th floor with a label like 12A or “M” for Mechanical. However, the floor itself definitely exists, if not in the elevator’s buttons.
“Many people avoid the number 13, considering it unlucky,” said Andrew Alpern, an architectural historian specializing in NYC’s historic apartments. “From a builder’s viewpoint, the goal is to rent out space, and anything that might deter that—like 13—gets tossed aside.”
However, it seems like the 13th floor is making a bit of a comeback. Broker Sidney Blumstein notes, “I’ve seen 13 used in many buildings lately. It feels like a reclaiming of something once thought unlucky, almost a badge of honor,” she added, even as she admitted that most people might not even think about it. “Every time I show something on the 14th floor, I think, ‘Hey, this is really the 13th floor, isn’t it?'”
Triskaidekaphobia—the fear of the number 13—persists despite a growing cultural skepticism.
Historically, the disdain for the number may trace back to the early 20th century when developers were cautioned against building more than 13 stories to prevent overshadowing city streets. It’s a curious fixation that’s captured American attention for decades.
In fact, Otis Elevator estimated in 2002 that around 85% of its elevators bypassed the 13th floor between buttons 12 and 14.
In New York’s condo market, only about 5% of buildings delineate 13 floors. A 2020 StreetEasy survey found just 55 buildings among the high-rises with 13 floors or more affixed a button for the 13th floor in their elevators, with approximately 575 opting for a mechanical floor label or none at all.
Some legendary buildings like the Flatiron, Empire State, and One World Trade Center rise above these superstitions, but they remain exceptions.
Omitting the 13th floor has almost become a standard practice in new construction. Skipping it, as Alpern put it, seems to have originated from landlords noticing potential tenants shying away from that floor. Eventually, it became a trend, similar to leaving two potted plants by the entrance.
In the early 1900s, the situation was quite different. Historians have noted that only a few tall buildings existed at the time, making the superstition more manageable.
Yet, as skyscrapers began to rise, the tendency to skip the 13th floor followed suit. “The Department of Buildings didn’t care about superstitions, but a rental omission could complicate things,” remarked Sam Hightower, from the Metropolitan Historical Office.
This phenomenon doesn’t just puzzle historians; it also creates practical dilemmas for first responders trying to match elevator labels with floors. In 2015, Vancouver even banned the practice to avoid any confusion.
As for the origins of why 13 is considered unlucky, many connect it to Judas being the 13th guest at the Last Supper, while others cite Norse mythology or Hindu beliefs.
Blumstein suggested that anxiety over making poor real estate decisions adds to the reluctance to embrace the number. It seems that for some buyers, even a whisper of bad luck could significantly impact choices. “People still perceive it as unlucky,” said one agent, recalling a client who passed on a desirable view for a second-floor unit instead of the 13th.
While it may appear overly cautious, in a market with steep prices, developers can’t afford to take chances based on numerology.
“Honestly, it’s kind of absurd,” Alpern commented. “But from a landlord’s standpoint, these beliefs have real implications. Losing a potential tenant really does mean losing money.”
