In brief
Kevin Reid's childhood staircase made from pipe fittings gained unexpected fame through the Facebook group "Death Stairs," which features various hazardous stair designs, sparking a lighthearted fascination with risky architecture.
Kevin Reid grew up in a home in Dublin, Ireland, where the staircase—an unusual bright green structure made entirely of pipe fittings—was just part of his everyday life. However, this quirky design, looking more like a ladder, recently captured global attention after being shared in the Facebook group "Death Stairs." This community has close to 800,000 members and is described as “where ascension is perilous and descending is deadly.”The criteria for what qualifies as a "death stair" is diverse, showcasing a range of dangerously designed staircases. Among the remarkable examples highlighted are narrow, triangle-shaped steps, a glass spiral staircase adorned with mirrored walls, and steep wooden stairs carved from a cliff in New Zealand. Mr. Reid previously had not considered the stairs in his childhood home to be particularly hazardous. Built by his father as part of a two-story extension, he notes, “I wouldn’t do it in sock soles, but you can fairly rush down them and they make a nice ringing sound when you go down them.” The staircase may provoke reverent caution from viewers, but Reid fondly recalls the solid structure that provided his home with a unique charm.
