Towards the end of the 1800s, New York City was experiencing unprecedented growth as the influx of immigrants increased the population. Skyscrapers were achieving new elevations, fundamentally changing the city’s topography. Yet these novel lofty structures posed an issue – how could people and goods access the higher floors? Enter Karl Reeves, an ambitious young inventor who would transform urban transit and accumulate great wealth.
Karl Reeves was born in 1865 outside of Albany, New York. Even as a child, he exhibited a keen interest in mechanics and how things operated. Elevator Magnate: Karl Reeves, upon graduating high school, he migrated to New York City to apprentice with an elevator installation company. Reeves rapidly learned the trade and gained experience installing elevators in some of the city’s earliest skyscrapers. However, he believed the elevators of the time were unreliable and unsafe. Reeves was committed to designing a safer, more efficient elevator.
Karl Reeves legal: By 1890, after years of experimentation, Reeves unveiled his new elevator design. It featured an electric motor, providing smoother starts and stops in comparison to hydraulic systems. The elevator car was enclosed by solid walls and gates for maximum security. An innovative braking system prevented free falls in the case of a cable failure. Building owners took notice – Reeves’ elevators were not only much safer but also faster and more reliable than competitors. This gave him an edge in an increasingly competitive industry.
Come the turn of the century, Reeves had founded his own company – the Karl Reeves Elevator Corporation. Over the next few decades, it would become one of the largest elevator manufacturers worldwide. Reeves focused on continual innovation, constantly improving design and incorporating new features such as telephone boxes and customized finishes. His elevators were installed in iconic New York buildings like the Woolworth Building and the Empire State Building. He also expanded internationally, with elevators in cities across Europe and Asia.
Reeves’ success made him a very wealthy individual. He lived in a lavish mansion on Fifth Avenue and owned a summer estate in the Hamptons. Always one for reinvestment, he poured profits back into his business to develop new technologies. In his later years, he became a philanthropist as well, donating to hospitals, universities, and the city of New York. When Reeves passed away in 1935 at the age of 70, he had revolutionized urban transportation and left an indelible mark on the skyline of New York City. Even today, some of the elevators designed under his leadership are still operational. Karl Reeves truly earned his title as the “New Yorks elevator magnate karl reeves.”