Nathaniel Russell House Staircase, Second Floor

Built in 1808, the design of a Charleston merchant’s home was all about symmetry. And impressing your neighbors, like this three-story, cantilevered, flying staircase was intended to do.

Window Behind the Cantilevered Staircase, Second Floor

Sometimes, reality didn’t match the rules, and this window is not evenly placed behind the staircase. But it does illustrate that the staircase doesn’t touch the wall for support.

This window seen from the outside, taken from what is now the narrow driveway to the back of the property. My back was at the wall of the First (Scots) Presbyterian Church next door and the trees reflected in the glass are in the graveyard.