Passenger elevators (lifts) have become an indispensable part of building equipment in modern construction. Recognizing the gap in knowledge about the history of the development of lifting devices in Polish territory at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the author undertook a scientific research project. The study involved three main stages: archival queries, inventory trips across Poland to prepare a catalog, and analysis of the in-formation gathered. This article is a project results summary and an attempt to answer some fundamental questions about the development of vertical transportation in the Polish construction industry.