THE ANCIENT TRADITION OF STAIRWAY TIME CAPSULES

Around the time of the Rennaisance era in Europe, stairbuilders began to put various kinds of information inside the bottom step of the stairways they built. In essence, they were creating a time capsule. This information often contained the names of the building's architect, its designer, its builder, the owner's name, the name of the structure, the completion date of the stair, and even weather conditions on the date of the completion of the stair. Often, current events, names and facts regarding political rulers and significant events of the times became part of their contribution. This information, referred to as the stairbuilder's signature, could not be seen until such time as there was a major repair or renovation of the stairway, sometimes surviving the passing of many centuries.

Although this practice is not now very prevalent, some stairbuilders, who are truly proud of the stairways they build, have begun to resurrect this ancient tradition. La Scala stair parts, by Giacomo Busi, have been selected by many of today's contemporary stairbuilders as being worthy components of their stairways and deserving of their signatures. The mystique of this ancient tradition is again being preserved by these artisan stairbuilders as no one is allowed to witness the information selected for inclusion in the bottom stair of their stairways. Only time will eventually tell what history will be revealed in the builder's signature.