In Boston, anyway, the 13th floor is losing its infamy
Aerial view of Downtown Boston in June 2017
AbhiSuryawanshi photo
Would you think twice about renting on the 13th floor?
For high rises in the United States, skipping the number 13 was once a standard convention. Many taller structures referred to their 13th floor as 14 and renumbered the rest of the building accordingly, a bizarre ruse apparently meant to save building managers from their more superstitious clients.
However, the unlucky number appears to be losing its infamy.
Most of Boston’s 20 tallest buildings do not bother skipping the 13th floor, according to a Boston Guardian review. Almost all of the city’s office skyscrapers bravely lease out space on floor number 13, and some newer residential high rises and hotels have also thrown away the practice.
Hotels may be the city’s last bastion of construction superstition. Spots such as the Park Plaza Hotel, the Custom House Tower and the new Newbury Hotel still go directly from floors 12 to 14, a comfort to triskaidekaphobic guests. It is unclear whether these hotels also ban black cats, broken mirrors or towering ladders.
Prospective hotel guests rarely fret about 13, noted Suzanne Wenz, director of marketing for the Newbury. The practice probably endures in older hotels because of tradition, she said.
“It’s just traditionally been that way,” Wenz said. “I personally have not heard of anyone complaining about being on the 13th floor.”
On the residential side, most recent developments are fearless, offering 13th floor apartments and condos with apparent impunity. Still, a few new buildings remain holdouts. The Viridian in the Fenway skips the number, and the Millennium Tower downtown cautiously avoids both 13 and 44, an unlucky number in East and Southeast Asian cultures. The developers did not respond to requests for comment.
Local real estate brokers say 13 is rarely a dealbreaker for condo owners. Most clients do not worry about the number, and 13th floor condos are unfortunately not available at a discounted rate for daring buyers willing to try their luck. That being said, some condo owners are in favor of skipping floor 13 in order to accommodate the small percentage of people who hold this superstition thinking they may as well not miss the sale.
“If you don’t have to put it in, and you can take it out because it’s your choice, why even deal with it?” said residential broker Kevin Ahearn. “It’s just a judicious thing to do.”
The practice appears to be waning. The Moxy, a downtown hotel aimed at millennials, does not skip 13, even though its older corporate siblings like the Park Plaza still follow the longstanding tradition.
For hotels and residential buildings, this change may be driven partly by consumers. Superstition is not unheard of nowadays, but few people will go out of their way to avoid an unlucky number.
“I don’t know that people give it a lot of thought these days,” said Wenz.