Amazing Stairs: Gone with the Wind — Welcome to Tara

The 1939 film Gone With The Wind features four beautiful staircases that have come to define the elegance, grace and grandeur of interior stair design.

Tara, the O'Hara family plantation, features a U-shaped staircase with Georgian style design and a stain and paint finish. The handrail is an approximately 5" wide and 4" high "box rail" and the balusters are 2 inch square top and bottom, reflective of Georgian design.

The stair ascends from a beautiful half circle starting tread and descending volute on the left hand side for 12 treads to the oversized landing. The horizontal rail at the landing lifts up with 90 degree upeasings on each end between the newel posts. The stair then continues for another 8 treads to the 2nd floor.

Interestingly, there never was a second floor as this stair was built on a sound stage for the filming of the interior scenes of the film, then torn down immediately after filming was completed. The exterior set of Tara was only a facade for filming and had no interior detail.

The staircase was designed by Lyle Wheeler who won an Academy Award for his design work on the 90 sets and 50 full size buildings used in the Movie. Even though Tara's staircase was short lived, it's place in film history as well as American history makes it an amazing staircase.