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Each step goes from very wide at the outer edge, and then narrows toward the center of the spiral. The staircase was designed so that the steps extend beyond the wall of the house, and the outside section of the step is the same weight as the entire inside section of the step…it’s called ‘cantilevered’. So the stairs are essentially balanced with the weight of the walls holding it all in place.
Inspired by the staircase at the Chateau de Blois in the Loire Valley, Biltmore’s grand staircase is a marvel of physics built using counterbalance. The weight of each of the solid limestone slab steps is offset by the weight of the wall bearing down.
It rises four floors and has 102 steps. Through its center, an iron chandelier weighing 1,700 pounds hangs complete with 72 light bulbs.
FYI: the windows opened outward like small doors, so servants could go out onto the narrow staircase outside the wall, and clean windows.
Inspired by the staircase at the Chateau de Blois in the Loire Valley, Biltmore’s grand staircase is a marvel of physics built using counterbalance. The weight of each of the solid limestone slab steps is offset by the weight of the wall bearing down.
It rises four floors and has 102 steps. Through its center, an iron chandelier weighing 1,700 pounds hangs complete with 72 light bulbs.
FYI: the windows opened outward like small doors, so servants could go out onto the narrow staircase outside the wall, and clean windows.