1 Staircase In New York Violates The Laws Of Physics

Is it possible for 1 staircase in Upstate New York to violate the laws of physics and basic logic?

Do you travel back in time using this staircase? Do you get sucked into a blackhole? The answer is no to those questions, however, the staircase does break the laws of physics.

So have you ever heard of a Escherian Stairway?

Also known as Penrose steps (after the father/son team of Lionel and Roger Penrose), this impossible phenomenon is based on the idea “of a staircase in which the stairs make four 90-degree turns as they ascend or descend yet form a continuous loop, so that a person could climb them forever and never get any higher. This is clearly impossible in three dimensions.”"

Does one exist in Upstate New York?

This stairwell is located in Building 7 on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology. According to facilityexecutive.com, the stairwell was designed by Filipino architect Rafael Nelson Aboganda when the university moved from downtown Rochester to its current location in Henrietta.

Does the stairwell break the laws of physics?

According to Snopes, FALSE. This stairwell does not break the laws of physics. In April 2013, internet users were puzzled and amazed by a video that showed it's existence, and since still believe the myth:

As described in a 30 April 2013 article published on RIT's web site, the video showing off the unusual stairway was supposedly the third installment of a "Can You Imagine" series about "interesting facts, stories and myths of RIT".

The exhibit, located in Artistic Alley in Gannett Hall room A171, will help festivalgoers search for the stairwell and give them a behind the scenes look at "Can You Imagine.""

So the truth- No physics-defying "Escherian Stairwell" exists. The video was created through the use of deceptive camera angles, careful editing, and digital effects, produced in conjunction with a (failed) Kickstarter campaign. You can read more from RIT online here.