Mission Stairs Conserve Space (Mar, 1948)

Mission Stairs Conserve Space

Although staggered stairs may sound like an architect’s nightmare, they’re a practical way of reaching a small upstairs room without utilizing too much floor space. Stairs of this type were often used in the old Spanish missions of the Southwest.

Pictured above are the stairs in the Spanish style custodian’s home in a Texas state park. These were made from two logs of 24″ diameter, one red elm and the other hack-berry. After opposite sides were squared off, steps with a 12″ tread and 12″ rise were sawed the length of each log. Then they were installed in an offset manner.

This gives the effect of a stairway with a 6″ rise and 12″ tread. However, the horizontal distance between the first riser and a vertical line from the landing is only half what a normal stairway of these dimensions would require.—Isabella II. Alden.