Abstract: A circular stairway and method of making same, including a helical newel formed by installing a cylindrical tube or pipe with its longitudinal axis concentric with the vertical axis about which the circular staircase is to wind. The treads are then affixed to the tube in either cantilever fashion or are bridged between the tube and an outer wall. The tube is subsequently cut along helically extending lines disposed beneath the tread line and at approximately the handrail elevation. The tube material between these lines is then removed to leave a helically extending ribbon of tube material forming the tread supporting helical newel. As an alternative, the several components of the stairway can be pre-fabricated and transported to a site for assembly.