Houston appears to have fewer office buildings without a 13th floor than other markets.

HOUSTON — On this Friday the 13th — one of three in 2026, the most possible in one calendar year — check your elevator panel.

You may have never noticed, but if you work in a high-rise, there is a good chance your building doesn’t have a 13th floor.

That is, it may have 13 or more floors but no elevator button for No. 13, skipping from 12 to 14. The reason is, of course, the traditionally held belief in Western culture that the No. 13 is unlucky. Blame Judas, the 13th guest at Jesus’ Last Supper, or the fateful 13th guest at a banquet of 12 gods in Norse mythology.

The superstition — along with its more extreme iteration, called triskaidekaphobia — persists and long ago found its way into real estate.

A 2002 study by Otis Elevator Co. showed about 85% of elevators it installs skip the 13th floor button, Planetizen previously reported. The New York Post also reported that the vast majority of condo high-rises in Manhattan lack a 13th floor.

Continue reading this story on the Houston Business Journal’s website.   

This story came to us through our partnership with the Houston Business Journal. Keep up with the latest Houston business headlines here.