Vertical lifting is one of the oldest problems in human history. For this matter, man started with lever, went on with spinning wheel and used their arm force. The past of elevator,having an unleavable position in our daily life,goes until 3th century B.C. First elevator designed by Archiment served in Roman palaces. In history, lifting was used in chateau and castles instead of step doors as the aim of defence and came until  7th century. Human and animal force were used on these hemp ropes.

Seriously, first  developing of these vertical lifting systems  relied on the textile factories in England working with American Industry,between 1850-1860 in 19th century. Later ,these developings transfered from industry to trade and public.

In the 17th century, with Industrial revolution, the buildings began getting higher,the necessity of using elevator in factory increased and counterweight was used on elevators. The first  elevator in residences was assembled in 1857 in Newyork. Developing was fast after these elevators working with steam, and electric motors began to be used on elevators in 1880. The elevator of Eifel Tower is among the firsts. It,also, gave the name of elevator, called flying chair before, in 1867. First elevators in Turkey were assembled in Pera Palace, Hidiv castle and Izmir, and spread from 1970s which is  the date of ındustries became dense.

In the beginning of 1800,there were many ideas about this matter. But, the most importatnt thing was to realize this as economical. Using electric in 1880 and 1890 brought the curtain down on vertical lifting mechanism and made it more practicel and econamical.

William Strutt took over  his dad’s factory in England the last of 1790. This factory was the leader of the techonolgies and innovations of  textile industry in the 18th century. In 1803 and 1804, William Strutt made the first  desing saving human and load elevator problem; this was a crane with belt pulley,drving by hand. Working mechanism of the elevator manufactured by Frost in 1812 were consisting of a brake pulley,two fixed two free pulleys, two non-ultimate belts,one exchange belt. On condition of being break pulley in the middle, it was assembled on one fixed one free pulley pivot. The Crane was moved by a young by pulling by hand.

The certain time,seen smilar vertical load lifting systems in American factories, are not exactly known but the beginning of 1840s are acceptable date. Waterman,who is one of the firsts of load lifting manufacturer,made a load elevator by driving with steam machine designed by John B.Corlise for Harper Brothers Publishers. But this interesting building was on fired. By giving attention to fire safety, and seperating steam boiler and coal store each other ,the load elevator was swiched on in 1885. In 1886,Parsons Paper Company Mill had a smilar vertical load lifting system in Holyoke.

Being a legand in its time is the reason of being synonym to Elisha Graves Otis. Otis displayed its “Developed Elevator” in New York Crystal Palace in 1854 May. During advertising, platform was loaded,lifted and later rope was cut and the platform was left free to fall down. The platform didnt fall down with surprised lookings of the people and was braked. Therefore,it was demonstrated that the system could be used in safety. New York Tribune wrote a headline ;“Science,Industry and Invention”

Again in 1854, Scientific American published this display as a model. Nearly in the same time,smilar tests were made with spinning wheel type,driving with water and steam in Europe.

The oldest assembled elevator in Turkey is the eleavator in Pera Palas Hotel stil working there. The building of The Pera Palas Hotel was began in 1881 and opened in 1882 october. Administration of the hotel,built for  the passangers coming from Paris to İstanbul,was taken over by “Compagnie Internationale des Grands Hotel” in 1896. General Director of Buga Otis, Bora Gülan, told that there was a contract,1500 USD handwritten,dated 1893, relating to elevator building in Pera Palas Hotel.

The elevator has been  keeping its originality on a large scale. The carrier rails are circular crossed transmission steel. Parachute brakes are suitable for this rail form and in a working situation. There are avaible two decorative iron cast column on the two side of pit. The conterweights are working in these columns, When looked at from outside it is with  four ropes, looked at from the bottom machine department,it is with two ropes, but in fact it is with single rope. One end rope gets from the weight in a column and comes up to bobbin department at the top, comes down machine department at the bottom, passes from the driving pulley and comes up to the machine department,from there, comes down under the cabin and again comes up to its department, passes from the auxillary pulleys, comes down to the machine department ,passes from the second channel of the driving pulley, after passes from the other auxillary pulleys at the bobbin department, comes down on the counterweight in the second colon and is attached.

Today, the elevators,having at least 15’ angle as horizontal,moving among the rails,being defined as related standarts, are programmed with computer-assisted and seve the skyscrapers having 400m height.