This is the stairwell in Carnegie Mellon University's Wean Hall known as
Architect's Leap. The story I heard nearly 20 years ago about the name was that
the architect who designed Wean (originally Science) Hall, a drab concrete block, was
so embarrassed he threw himself down the open space in this stairwell, which reaches
from the third to the eighth floor. Of course, I consider that an urban legend.
In the late '80s and early '90s, there was a chalk or painted outline of a person down
at the bottom which would periodically be removed by the authorities but always quickly
reappeared. Currently, there is a poem written in charcoal on the edge of the landings
on each floor, reading downward:
8: If you're feeling like a jerk,
7: 'cause your project just won't work,
6: Go ahead, and take the leap,
5: Then you'll finally get some sleep.
4: Burma Shave
