The E. V. Haughwout Building is a historic five-story, 79-foot-tall commercial loft building located at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1857 and designed by John P. Gaynor, the building is notable for its ornate cast-iron facades on two street fronts, made by Daniel D. Badger’s Architectural Iron Works, based on the Sansovino Library in Venice.
The building originally housed Eder V. Haughwout’s luxury emporium, specializing in imported cut glass, silverware, handpainted china, and fine chandeliers, attracting wealthy clients including Mary Todd Lincoln, who purchased official White House china there.
Most importantly, the Haughwout Building was the site of the world’s first successful passenger elevator installation on March 23, 1857, designed by Elisha Graves Otis. It was a hydraulic lift powered by a steam engine in the basement, traveling at 0.2 meters per second, and costing about $300 at the time. This elevator was a groundbreaking innovation that made the building a precursor to modern skyscrapers by demonstrating the commercial advantage of vertical transport and building support using a metal frame rather than just masonry.
 
 
Interesting facts....
The passenger elevator was more a marketing attraction than a necessity. Despite the building’s modest five-story height, E. V. Haughwout installed the elevator specifically to draw crowds, knowing curious visitors would stay to shop after riding the technological marvel.
The clientele was exceptionally exclusive—among them:
    •    The Czar of Russia, Alexander II, ordered custom china.
    •    The Imam of Muscat purchased chandeliers for royal residences.
    •    Mary Todd Lincoln handpicked White House china here.
The building was groundbreaking for using the cast-iron facades as structural support, not just decoration—a significant precursor to steel-frame skyscraper construction techniques that would later transform city skylines