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winchesterszvonecek · 9 months

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This sounds so bad but something about Otis turns me on to a whole new level 🫣🤭

I was also thinking Otis is the elevator guy but why is there no elevator sex scenario for him ?! Could I pls request elevator smut with this prompt?

9. “You take me so well.” Otis x fem

From: Smut Dialogue Prompts That Make Me Feral

Elevator - [ Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek ] 18+

Prompt: “You take me so well.” with the additional request of elevator sex

Word Count: 932

Warnings: female!reader, smut - [ public sex, unprotected sex, elevator sex ]

A/N: it doesn’t make you seem bad at all anon, that man is so fine it’s hard for him not to turn people on… also bless you for this, this is the request i didn’t know i needed until now

Masterlist | Otis Masterlist

You’d never had sex in an elevator before. Never had sex anywhere public really, unless you counted the firehouse showers or the back of your car. But right now, as you occupied the hotel elevator on your way up to your room, you wouldn’t deny that it felt as though you were ascending straight into Heaven.

“Oh fuck, baby… That’s it. Right fucking there…” Your legs clenched tightly around Otis’s waist, your back pressed firmly against the elevator wall, his cock swelling inside you as it pounded mercilessly into you, sending you to heights you’d truly never felt before.

You couldn’t begin to describe how good this moment felt. How many times you’d thought about him absolutely ravishing you inside the one thing he was known for. The one thing that had his nickname lit up brightly on the wall, something your eyes kept flicking to each time Otis’s face would bury itself into the nape of your neck, lathering it in kisses before he moaned your name in a way that left you even more soaking.

The way his fingers dug deep into the flesh of your ass as he held you up would normally hurt if you weren’t so overthrown with such intense pleasure that you couldn’t see straight. The angle of which his cock ploughed into you had you wanting to scream out his name from the way it brushed across your clit, littering your spine with goosebumps and pushing you closer and closer to the edge.

“You take me so well.” Otis panted, hips bucking hard as he gave you everything you wanted and more. He leaned in, planting a rough, yet loving, kiss against yours lips as the continuous ding of the elevator sang through the air, each one reminding you that you were getting close to your floor. “It’s like you were made just for me.”

“Only for you, baby.” You whispered, biting your lip as you swallowed back a moan. “No one else. No one else could ever fuck me like you can.”

“And no one else could ever take me like you can… Like such a good girl.” He purred, biting down on your neck which made you cry out his name as your fingers gripped the shoulders of his jacket so tight you through your nails would rip it.

“I’ve always wanted you to fuck me in an elevator.” You exhaled into his ear, causing a rather deep groan to rattle up his chest as his movements stuttered, his cock almost slipping out of you as though your words had caused him to lose his train of thought.

“I always knew you were a dirty girl.” He grinned, hoisting you up a little as he repositioned himself inside you once again, thrusting deep enough that the tip of his cock hit your sweet spot perfectly every time.

You hummed softly, threading your fingers through his curls before he kissed you. You could feel the pressure inside you build fast and you knew you were about to come in a way you’d probably never felt before, but before you did, there was something else you needed to make this moment that much more pleasurable.

“Tell me a fact… About elevators.” You asked, watching as a small grin formed against Otis’s lips.

“Well did you know the first ever elevator was invented by a guy called Elisha Otis?” Otis replied breathlessly, feeling the way you so tightly clenched around his cock as he continued to fuck up into you, the way your eyes rolled back into your head telling him everything he needed to know about what he was doing to you.

“What - oh fuck - what else?” You panted, the feeling deep in your abdomen was stronger than ever and you knew well that you were about to come in a way no one had ever made come before. “Tell me more.”

“It had a hydraulic lift…” Otis groaned out, burying his face into the crook of your neck as the sensation of himself inside you when you felt like this was beginning to become so overpowering he was afraid he’d burst before you. “Powered by a steam engine in the basement…”

“Mm-hmm.” You bit down on your lip with such force you almost drew blood. You were right there. Right fucking there that you could already see stars.

“And the whole thing only cost about $300.” Otis finished and with one last, deep thrust of his cock he sent you hurtling over the edge into the fiercest, more pleasure filled orgasm you’d ever felt in your entire life.

Your eyes saw white as his nickname left your lips in a way that had his hold on your falter a little, your back slipping down the elevator wall before he managed to lift you back up. He’d met his end with you, his warmth filling you up completely as he buried his face against your neck, allowing you to feel the way your name escaped his lips in a moan that only added to your own pleasure.

Your legs fell from around him as he pulled slowly out of you, tucking himself back into his pants as you steadied yourself on your feet and fixed your dress. Your thighs ached something terrible and you could already feel him dripping out of you. But the way you felt right now made it all worth it and as the elevator dinged one last time as the doors to your floor opened, you couldn’t help but think one thing.

That Otis really was the best damn elevator guy you’d ever met.

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tengomilpalabrasparati · 2 months

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A varios se nos ha hecho la vida más cómoda y funcional con el uso de los ascensores ¡bendito invento! razón por la cual el 23 de marzo celebramos el Día Mundial del Ascensor.

Gracias a este sistema de elevación podemos subir y bajar en un instante, evitando el uso de escaleras ¡Que pereza!

¿Por qué se celebra?

El Día Mundial del Ascensor se celebra desde el año 1853, con la aparición del primer ascensor comercial para pasajeros.

Pero los sistemas de elevación ya eran utilizados desde el Antiguo Egipto.

El precursor de este invento moderno fue el pionero Elisha Otis (Si, el de la famosa marca de elevadores "Otis"), quien presentó una novedosa plataforma de elevación con sistema de frenado en la Feria Mundial de Nueva York de 1854.

Curiosidades del ascensor

Entre algunas curiosidades del ascensor o elevador se destaca que dos tercios de las personas que suben o bajan en un ascensor no hablan entre ellos ¡Muy cierto! A esto se le conoce como "el esquema de los dados", puesto que las personas se ubican en el ascensor como la posición de las caras de los dados, sin interactuar.

Para celebrarlo, podemos marcar la diferencia y empatizar con las demás personas, creando un espacio interesante para relacionarlos con las demás personas, aunque sea por unos segundos ¿te atreves a intentarlo?

#Día Mundial del Ascensor 23 marzo

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brookstonalmanac · 2 months

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Events 3.23. (before 1940)

1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official. 1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 1568 – The Peace of Longjumeau is signed, ending the second phase of the French Wars of Religion. 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his speech – "Give me liberty, or give me death!" – at St. John's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia. 1801 – Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death inside his bedroom at St. Michael's Castle. 1806 – After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their arduous journey home. 1821 – Greek War of Independence: Battle and fall of city of Kalamata. 1839 – A massive earthquake destroys the former capital Inwa of the Konbaung dynasty, present-day Myanmar. 1848 – The ship John Wickliffe arrives at Port Chalmers carrying the first Scottish settlers for Dunedin, New Zealand. Otago province is founded. 1857 – Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City. 1862 – American Civil War: The First Battle of Kernstown, Virginia, marks the start of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Although a Confederate defeat, the engagement distracts Federal efforts to capture Richmond. 1868 – The University of California is founded in Oakland, California when the Organic Act is signed into law. 1879 – War of the Pacific: The Battle of Topáter, the first battle of the war is fought between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. 1885 – Sino-French War: Chinese victory in the Battle of Phu Lam Tao near Hưng Hóa, northern Vietnam. 1888 – In England, The Football League, the world's oldest professional association football league, meets for the first time. 1889 – The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian, British India. 1901 – Emilio Aguinaldo, only President of the First Philippine Republic, is captured at Palanan, Isabela by the forces of American General Frederick Funston. 1905 – Eleftherios Venizelos calls for Crete's union with Greece, and begins what is to be known as the Theriso revolt. 1909 – Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. 1913 – A tornado outbreak kills more than 240 people in the central United States, while an ongoing flood in the Ohio River watershed was killing 650 people. 1918 – First World War: On the third day of the German Spring Offensive, the 10th Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment is annihilated with many of the men becoming prisoners of war 1919 – In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement. 1931 – Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar are hanged for the killing of a deputy superintendent of police during the Indian independence movement. 1933 – The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany. 1935 – Signing of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. 1939 – The Hungarian air force attacks the headquarters of the Slovak air force in Spišská Nová Ves, killing 13 people and beginning the Slovak–Hungarian War.

#Events

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gonzalo-obes · 2 months

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IMAGENES Y DATOS INTERESANTES DEL DIA 23 DE MARZO DE 2024

La Hora del Planeta, Día Meteorológico Mundial, Día Mundial del Aprendizaje, Día Mundial del Ascensor, Semana de solidaridad con los pueblos que luchan contra el racismo y la discriminación racial, Semana de la Lengua Francesa y la Francofonía, Año Internacional de los Camélidos.

San Jose Oriol, San Toribio, San Benito de Nursia y San Victoriano.

Tal día como hoy en el año 2011

Los sirios, que hace días se han unido a la ola de revueltas que iniciaron Túnez y Egipto con manifestaciones contra el Gobierno de Bashar Al Asad exigiendo el fin del estado de emergencia que está en vigor desde 1963, el fin de la corrupción y un mayor pluralismo político, se manifiestan para mostrar su solidaridad con los seis civiles muertos anoche por disparos de las fuerzas de seguridad y, cuando marchan hacia Deraa desde localidades próximas son víctimas de los disparos de la policía que causan varios muertos. (Hace 13 años)

2001

La estación espacial soviética rusa "Mir" (que significa Paz), se precipita tras 15 años de servicio, en el Océano Pacífico Sur, cumpliendo con creces sus espectativas. Inicialmente fue diseñada para estar sólo 5 años en órbita. (Hace 23 años)

1983

El presidente estadounidense Ronald Reagan desvela planes para combatir una eventual guerra nuclear desde el espacio. Su plan, la Iniciativa de Defensa Estratégica (SDI), propone un escudo defensivo que, con el uso de tecnología láser o mediante un haz de partículas, "interceptará y destruirá" los misiles enemigos que se desplacen a través del espacio. (Hace 41 años)

1982

En Guatemala, Romeo Lucas es derrocado por un golpe de estado militar, instaurando en el poder a una junta encabezada por el general Efraín Ríos Montt. (Hace 42 años)

1976

Entra en vigor el "Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos" adoptado por la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas mediante la Resolución 2200A (XXI), de 16 de diciembre de 1966, que incorpora casi todos los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos proclamados en la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos del año 1948. (Hace 48 años)

1965

Desde Cabo Cañaveral, la NASA lanza el Gemini 3, el primer vuelo espacial con dos astronautas (Gus Grissom y John Young). El programa Gemini, es puente entre el Mercury, que ha llevado un tripulante, y el Apollo, que llevará tres con el objetivo de llegar a la Luna. (Hace 59 años)

1879

En Calama, Bolivia, tiene lugar la batalla de Calama, primer enfrentamiento armado de la Guerra del Pacífico entre el ejército chileno y fuerzas civiles bolivianas. Después de varias horas de combate, las tropas chilenas pondrán fin a la resistencia boliviana. Su superioridad numérica es determinante. La contienda deja 20 bolivianos y 7 chilenos muertos. (Hace 145 años)

1860

En Japón, xenófobos del clan "Mito" que se oponen a cualquier apertura exterior, asesinan al poderoso consejero Li Naosuke por firmar tratados comerciales y de amistad con potencias extranjeras. (Hace 164 años)

1857

En los almacenes E.V. Haughwout & Company de Nueva York, situados en el número 488 de la calle Brodway, se inaugura el primer ascensor del mundo de tracción mecánica, construido por Elisha Graves Otis. El invento está propulsado por una máquina de vapor en un edificio de cinco plantas que permite elevar hasta seis personas a una velocidad de unos doce metros por minuto. Su éxito será tal que en 1873 hará más de 2.000 ascensores Otis presentes en edificios de oficinas, hoteles y centros comerciales de Estados Unidos. (Hace 167 años)

1849

En la batalla de Novara (Italia) el mariscal de campo austríaco Radetzky, logra una decisiva victoria sobre las tropas independentistas italianas de la Lombardía. (Hace 175 años)

1806

En Estados Unidos, después de llegar al océano Pacífico en canoa, a caballo y a pie, los exploradores Lewis y Clark y sus expedicionarios emprenden el viaje de regreso. El objetivo ha sido hallar una ruta al océano Pacífico que permita trasladar gente y mercancías de costa a costa. A su regreso en septiembre a San Luis habrán recorrido casi 13.000 kilómetros y habrán empleado tres años de sus vidas. (Hace 218 años)

1766

Durante el domingo de Ramos en Madrid (España), tiene lugar el llamado "motín de Esquilache", la revuelta, bajo el pretexto de la publicación de una norma municipal que regula la vestimenta de los madrileños, tiene sus causas verdaderas en el hambre, las constantes subidas de precio de los productos de primera necesidad y el recelo de los españoles a los ministros extranjeros traídos por el rey Carlos III. Finalmente, el motín se saldará con el exilio forzado del Marqués de Esquilache, un napolitano favorecido por Carlos III que es secretario de Hacienda e inspirador del edicto. (Hace 258 años)

1753

En Prusia, el filósofo francés Voltaire, abandona la corte de Federico II tras una violenta ruptura, al chocar sus avanzadas ideas con la mentalidad rígida de la sociedad prusiana. (Hace 271 años)

1508

En España, el rey Fernando "el Católico" cede a las pretensiones de Juan Díaz de Solís y Vicente Yáñez Pinzón para que éstos traten de descubrir un estrecho que ponga en comunicación el Océano Atlántico con el que luego será llamado Oceáno Pacífico. Este paso, finalmente, será descubierto por Fernando de Magallanes el día 1 de noviembre de 1520. (Hace 516 años)

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wausaupilot · 3 months

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Today in History: Today is Wednesday, Feb. 14, the 45th day of 2024. This is Valentine’s Day.

On this date: In 1919, United Parcel Service forms.

By The Associated Press Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 14, 1967, Aretha Franklin recorded her cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect” at Atlantic Records in New York. On this date: In 1876, inventors Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray applied separately for patents related to the telephone. (The U.S. Supreme Court eventually ruled Bell the rightful inventor.) In 1912, Arizona became the…

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#afternoon update #Milestones #today in history

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th0h0e · 7 months

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To bring the point of my previous paragraph home I use an example I found in Delirious New York by Rem Koolhaas.

What can be seen in this image is Elisha Otis the inventor of the elevator as we know it during the 1853 Wold Fair in New York.

In a chaotic presentation of his elevator he asked an axman to cut the rope the elevator was hanging on when pulled up to its maximum height. The gathered crowd in tension of what was about to happen found themselves in relive when nothing happened.

Coming home from the fair one would have probably be mesmerized by the dangerous spectacle but also by the possibility of living in the vertical instead of the horizontal. An optimistic fever dream.

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hybonelevator · 10 months

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Elisha Graves Otis was the first person to introduce the concept of passenger elevators in New York in 1853. Since then, elevators have undergone thousands of upgrades to meet the requirements of the modern world. This article emphasises the need for continuous up gradation of elevators to facilitate smooth movement between floors without hassles.

Why Should One Improve Their Elevator Facilities?

Elevators are the most over-used facility in a building or an industrial establishment. Every day, the elevators carry/move a specific ton of weight (people or goods) to different floors. But elevators are prone to wear and tear and therefore need improvement for better functioning. Here is a list of reasons to convince one to improve their elevator’s facilities.

#elevator company in delhi #lift manufacturers in india #top 10 lift companies in india #best home lift company #home elevator #capsule elevator #elevators #escalators

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rabbitcruiser · 1 year

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Elisha Otis’s first elevator was installed at 488 Broadway New York City (E. V. Haughwout Building) on March 23, 1857.

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up2065654 · 1 year

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Modernism

“Modernism refers to a global movement in society and culture that from the early decades of the twentieth century sought a new alignment with the experience and values of modern industrial life.” – Tate

Introducing new materials, human needs and technology, architecture also took a turn in a new direction. Instead of creating designs which were representative of a culture’s finance, art, political issues and use of local materials, Modernism took a simple, clean, asymmetrical approach. It was the rise of an international style. It focused on rational use and rejecting ornaments, beginning with cast iron, plate glass and reinforced concrete.

Early Modernism was the birth of skyscrapers with the first appearing in the United States in the 19th century built as a response to limited land and high cost of real estate. With the forever advancing technology, fireproof steel frames and advancements to Elisha Otis’ safety elevator, new creations were made possible. Louis Sullivan known as the father of the skyscraper, was responsible for revolutionary steel frames and height.

Towards the end of the 1920s, architecture changed from national to international and quickly became an important movement. Architects travelled to share ideas and eventually came to a consensus by combining modern and stylized decoration. Purism, Le Corbusier and Amédée Ozenfant introduced a fresh take on architecture called Purism. The goal was to be ‘as efficient as a factory assembly line’ and balance light, air and harmony.

During this time International Style was also in development. It included elements such as light and taught planes, glass for the facade, concrete for interior flooring and support and steel for exterior. Throughout the years of his life, Architect Ludwig Mies van der Roche preached “Less is more” which demonstrates thorough detail to simplicity calling his builds “skin and bones”.

Brutalist architecture (1950s-1970s) was considered architecture in its rawest form putting importance in its scale and gigantic concrete meeting abruptly with ventilation towers and service ducts were publicly displayed. Some important characteristics include: large peculiar shapes, rough, incomplete surfaces and small windows in comparison with other elements of the building.

References:

https://www.architecture.com/explore-architecture/modernism

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/modernism#:~:text=Modernism%20refers%20to%20a%20global,values%20of%20modern%20industrial%20life

Modernism Lecture

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abaliftco · 1 year

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Abalift Elevator

Elevators are a ubiquitous aspect of modern life, providing convenient and efficient vertical transportation for people and goods in tall buildings. Although the first elevators were invented in the 19th century, it wasn't until the adventآسانسور در کرج of skyscrapers in the 20th century that elevators became an essential part of urban life. In this essay, we will discuss the history of elevators, their technology, and their impact on society.

History of Elevators

The concept of an elevator can be traced back to ancient times when humans used ropes and pulleys to lift heavy objects. However, it wasn't until the mid-19th century that the first mechanical elevators were developed. In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the safety elevator, which featured a braking system that prevented the elevator from falling if the cable broke.

The invention of the safety elevator paved the way for the construction of taller buildings, which were previously limited by the number of floors people were willing to climb. The first skyscrapers were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and elevators quickly became an essential aspect of their design.

Elevator Technology

Modern elevators are complex machines that rely on a variety of technologies to operate efficiently and safely. The basic components of an elevator include the car, which transports passengers or goods, the hoistway, which contains the elevator shaft, the motor, which powers the elevator, and the control system, which manages the elevator's operation.

One of the most important aspects of elevator technology is the control system, which determines the elevator's speed, acceleration, and deceleration. Modern control systems use advanced algorithms to optimize the elevator's performance, taking into account factors such as passenger demand, traffic patterns, and energy efficiency.

Another key aspect of elevator technology is the safety features that prevent accidents and ensure passenger safety. In addition to the safety brakes invented by Elisha Otis, modern elevators feature a variety of safety systems, including emergency stop buttons, fire-rated doors, and emergency communication systems.

Impact of Elevators on Society

Elevators have had a profound impact on society, both in terms of urban development and social mobility. In the early 20th century, the invention of the elevator paved the way for the construction of taller buildings, which enabled cities to accommodate growing populations and businesses. The availability of elevators also allowed people to live and work in different parts of the city, reducing congestion and increasing mobility.

In addition to their impact on urban development, elevators have also played a significant role in social mobility. In the past, the ability to climb stairs was often seen as a sign of strength and status, while the inability to do so was a sign of weakness or poverty. Elevators provided a way for people of all ages and abilities to access higher floors, which helped to level the playing field and reduce social inequality.

Elevators have also had a significant impact on the economy, enabling businesses to operate in tall buildings and reducing the cost of land. The availability of elevators has allowed businesses to expand vertically rather than horizontally, which has helped to reduce urban sprawl and preserve open space.

However, elevators have also presented challenges, particularly in terms of energy consumption and environmental impact. Elevators require a significant amount of energy to operate, and the high demand for vertical transportation in tall buildings can lead to increased energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, advances in elevator technology, such as regenerative braking and energy-efficient lighting, have helped to reduce the environmental impact of elevators.

Source : www.abaliftco.com

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labellenouvelle · 1 year

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OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY

A nice vintage industrial machine room metal cabinet from the worldwide renowned OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY , in business since 1853 when Elisha Graves Otis introduced the first safety passenger elevator at the Crystal Palace Convention in New Your City.

A great little cabinet in a cool shade of green, comes with original working key.

Item No. E5647

Dimensions: 35″ tall x 18″ wide x 12″ deep

SOLD

504.581.3733 / t

[email protected] / e

#antiques #otis elevator company #otis elevator #vintage industrial #machine room #man cave #nola #interior designer #side table #interior decor #magazine street #new orleans antiques

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xtruss · 1 year

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How Tall Is Too Tall? The Rise and Rise and Rise of the Supertall Skyscraper

— How New York City's Skyscrapers went from Tall to 'Supertall'

— ABC RN | By Nick Baker and Keri Phillips for Rear Vision | Tuesday 11 October, 2022

The light catches Central Park Tower, the highest residential building in the world. (Getty Images: DigitalVision)

The penthouse of the highest residential building in the world is on the market and could be yours — if you happen to be a billionaire.

In September, the three-floor apartment atop Central Park Tower in New York City was listed for an eye-popping $US250 million ($390 million).

If the apartment sells at that price, it would become the most expensive home in the US.

At more than 470-metres high, this towering new development is yet another chapter in the city's dramatic 150-year love affair with the skyscraper.

"We started with a very defined area of land called Manhattan," Patrice Derrington, the director of Columbia University's Real Estate Development Program, tells ABC RN's Rear Vision.

"That got filled up [but] more and more people wanted to be there. Rather than spread out and have the disadvantages, commercially and socially — [people] decided they had to go up."

"New York took that to the extreme, as usual."

Going Up

For much of human history, most residential and commercial buildings didn't rise beyond a few floors.

"Buildings were constrained by the leg muscles of the people who inhabited them," says Carol Willis, the founder, director and curator of New York's Skyscraper Museum.

But the invention of the elevator dramatically changed this.

Willis says the development of elevators in the mid-19th century, specifically a safety system designed by American industrialist Elisha Graves Otis, made the idea of a skyscraper possible.

Otis famously demonstrated his invention at the 1853 New York World's Fair. In a suit and top hat, he rode an elevator platform up, before ordering its rope be cut. He fell a few centimetres but the safety system kicked in and the platform halted. The crowd went wild.

Live or work in a skyscraper? Thank Elisha Graves Otis. (Wikimedia Commons)

Willis says this "vertical transportation" technology was initially incorporated into New York hotels and dry goods stores, but it was soon adopted by the city's office buildings.

"This became a kind of revolution that allowed for the exploitation of the value of the land and the urban density and the competition and drive and energy that existed in lower Manhattan."

The First Skyscrapers

So what was New York's first skyscraper or its earliest relative?

The history of the New York skyscraper goes back to structures like the Western Union Telegraph Building. (Wikimedia Commons)

Mosette Broderick, the director of Urban Design and Architecture Studies at New York University, points to the Equitable Life Assurance Building, which opened in 1870 and rose seven storeys.

"At first, people were a little afraid — the very top floor didn't rent," she says.

Meanwhile, Willis points to two nearby buildings from this era that she considers the "very beginning of the skyscraper in New York": The New York Tribune Building and the Western Union Telegraph Building.

"These two buildings were about 10-storeys tall … They rose to about 260 feet [around 80 metres] which is by far the tallest thing in the skyline of lower Manhattan in 1874, when each of them were completed."

Similar buildings continued to spring up in the lower Manhattan area.

"Interestingly, three kinds of businesses create the first tall, multipurpose buildings: They are insurance companies, newspapers, and inventions [like the telegraph]," Broderick says.

'Really stretch into the sky'

New York's earliest tall buildings were built with brick and stone, which came with severe limitations.

It was the introduction of steel that really gave birth to the modern-day skyscraper.

New York's Woolworth Building around 1913. It still stands to this day. (Wikimedia Commons)

"[During] the last quarter of the 19th century, there's lots of experiments in the advancing technologies, particularly 'steel framing'," Willis says.

"A steel skeleton was a much more efficient way to erect tall buildings than a pure masonry structure."

Steel framing meant New York's skyline got taller and taller with each decade.

In 1899, the tallest office building in the world was the Park Row Building, coming in at 119 metres.

Then, just 14 years later, that title was taken by the nearby Woolworth Building, which was more than twice as tall at 241 metres.

"So there was an enormous amount of growth — of business growth, of urban growth. The built forms of skyscrapers were able to exploit the new technology in order to really stretch into the sky," Willis says.

'Arrest the seriously increasing evil'

In 1916, New York passed a comprehensive zoning law, which was the first of its type in the world.

A worker stands on a crane pulley counterweight during the construction of the Empire State Building in 1930. (Getty Images: Hulton Archive)

Borough president of Manhattan George McAneny said zoning was needed "to arrest the seriously increasing evil of the shutting off of light and air from other buildings and from the public streets".

While the 1916 law didn't set a height limit, it did constrain the design of skyscrapers as they rose, which meant they had more of a wedding cake shape.

"If you think of the great art deco skyscrapers of New York, like the Chrysler Building or the Empire State Building, they have a heavy base … and then an intermediate set of what the zoning law called 'setbacks'. So they pyramid up like a ziggurat," Willis says.

"Then often they have a tower that emerges … to unlimited height as the zoning law allowed."

Willis says after 1916, the city had "a new generation of buildings, a series of ziggurats that give New York what we think of as the black and white skyline of noir film".

Towers of Glass

In post-World War II America, further new technologies gave New York a whole new set of skyscrapers.

Willis says the era brought lighter welded steel frames, along with stretched glass and thin mullion (which hold up the windows). This dramatically changed the facades.

"The buildings seem to be these towers of glass," she says.

"The windows don't open. They're hermetically sealed. This was an opportunity that was created by the technology of air conditioning and also fluorescent lights. [This] allowed you to have a very deep space away from windows, but still illuminated, with cool, fluorescent lights."

The Twin Towers once rose high above the rest of the New York skyline.(Wikimedia Commons)

From 1931 to 1971, the Empire State Building was the tallest in the world, before it was overtaken by Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

With 110 storeys and a height of more than 415 metres each, Willis says the towers were "of such titanic scale".

But buildings from around this time were far from perfect.

"[The Twin Towers] were so energy inefficient, in a time when the consumption and the price of energy was not that high. A single light switch would turn on an entire floor," Willis says.

The September 11 Attacks

The terror attacks of September 11, 2001, fractured and changed many parts of New York life, including the relationship with skyscrapers.

"There was an immediate reaction against skyscrapers and against working in skyscrapers," Derrington says.

Surprisingly this was short-lived, she says.

"People's memories are short, particularly in New York when it comes to money. So they came back, they needed to be close [to each other] again."

Derrington says September 11 did have an impact on the DNA of skyscrapers around the city.

"The building [owners] did work hard to put in extra security, big security systems. Before that, you could just walk into an office building and take the elevator to [whatever] floor," she says.

"Similarly, driving under buildings, we forget that there's a whole lot of parking and access under buildings, that became much more secured."

"Plus, we put in better fire systems. One of the problems with the World Trade Center was that the steel melted faster than we had anticipated."

Today's World Trade Center is anchored by the One World Trade Center building, the tallest building in the US, with the tip of its spire at 546 metres.

For comparison, Australia's tallest building is the Gold Coast's Q1, at 322 metres.

Supertalls

Although commercial skyscrapers have continued to rise, there's a new kind of residential skyscraper making headlines in New York.

So-called "supertalls" are mainly clustered around "Billionaires' Row", along the southern end of Manhattan's Central Park.

"These buildings went up — skinny, ultra-tall buildings. It was a quirk or a loophole in the zoning laws that enabled these buildings, on a very small footprint, to actually go as high as they possibly could," Derrington says.

"Many people were horrified," she says.

New York's skyline with a supertall building in the middle. 432 Park Avenue was at one point the tallest residential building in the world.(Pexels: Dustin Demmerle)

But these super-slim apartment buildings have been plagued by complaints and lawsuits from owners.

"The famous example of a tall, thin building that's not working right now is 432 Park Avenue … It was the first super-tall of that order," Broderick says.

When 432 Park Avenue was completed in 2015, it was the tallest residential building in the world.

"But the people who bought units in 2015, 2016, they're now suing the developer for $125 million, because the building creaks, the building sways, the building is scary at night," she says.

"It's not dangerous, it's not going to fall over, but it's disconcerting. So those tall, thin buildings have a problem."

Derrington adds: "A lot of engineers have also said that these things are yet to be tested in terms of exit during a fire".

Tall buildings crowd into a busy skyline, with the iconic Empire State Building dwarfing them all in centre frame. New York's skyline continues to grow and evolve each year.(Pixabay)

Awe or Terror

As the founder, director and curator of New York's Skyscraper Museum, Willis talks about the minute details of these buildings, but also what she calls their "romance".

"That word is a romantic word — skyscraper. It's a word that creates in your mind's eye … a silhouette or an image against the sky," she says.

"When you're at that elevated height, you see the collective city, but you also see, in some cases, the curvature of the earth."

She describes this as "an incredibly powerful image and, I think for most people an emotional one, whether awe or terror at the great height".

"There's an emotional investment in the skyline, of looking at the city from great heights that I think that no one can be immune to."

432 Park Avenue has been nicknamed the “Awful Waffle” in a nod to its gridlike facade. (Jeffrey Milstein)

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