Restoration Tip ~ Save What Can’t Be Reproduced! This stair was added when an 1827 Cape had a second story and finished attic added around 1850. The center chimney left little room for a staircase, but the builder managed to create this amazing swirl of a stair in the available space. The French Gothic Revival wallpaper was hung in 1852.
Note that this is not a typical spiral stair. The treads are skewed in non-radial arrangement creating treads that are deeper on the inside of the stairs and less wide on the outside. They are called “dancing winders.”
Asher Benjamin’s 1827 edition of “American Builder’s Companion” explains how to design and build stairs like this. While perfectly functional (it’s been in use for almost 170 years), this stair doesn’t come close to meeting current code requirements and could not be built today.
Chapter 5 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” is titled “Bureaucrats You’ll Meet.” Building Permits, Historic Preservation Certificates, utility company requirements, etc. are explored and explained.
A tip from the book… avoid tearing out anything that can’t be rebuilt under current code. Find a way to repair it, not replace it, and it is unlikely you will have to bring it up to code for residential use.
Want more tips? The award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book is filled with tips to make restoring houses easier.
Signed and personalized copies of the book are available from the author at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries other select preservation and restoration titles, including the classic “A Field Guide to American Houses” by Virginia McAllester. Save with our multi-book combo packs!
© Scott T. Hanson 2026.
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