Cool Doors Throughout the U.S. Where Are They?
August 27, 2014 7:39 PM Subscribe
I am doing a creative book project entitled "36 Doors" The book involves doing 36 yoga poses in various and not necessarily famous doorways in the U.S. There are obvious spots (Jefferson Memorial, churches, etc.) along with more unexpected spots (Alice Water's Chez Panisse for examples) Any recommendations would be appreciated.
I like old fire department doors, like this one.
posted by three_red_balloons at 7:54 PM on August 27, 2014
posted by three_red_balloons at 7:54 PM on August 27, 2014
The doorway of 1304 Massachusetts Ave in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA is glass surrounded by gorgeous art nouveau wooden carving. Unique and beautiful. I'm not sure what the business is in there now--it has changed several times in the last several years. It may be a shoe repair place? You can get a good look at it with google maps street view.
posted by primate moon at 8:00 PM on August 27, 2014
posted by primate moon at 8:00 PM on August 27, 2014
I've always been partial to Dutch doors, the kind that separate into a top and bottom panel that can move independently. These appear on barns and in the kitchen door of old houses.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:02 PM on August 27, 2014
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:02 PM on August 27, 2014
I like the Boston Public Library, which has many different doors (and interior arches and other good divisions of space.) They do a walking tour of the architecture.
On the other coast, San Francisco's "Painted Ladies" have very interesting doors.
posted by Mizu at 8:04 PM on August 27, 2014
On the other coast, San Francisco's "Painted Ladies" have very interesting doors.
posted by Mizu at 8:04 PM on August 27, 2014
Along the lines of what LobsterMitten said, it might be nifty if you could find old-fashioned saloon (swinging) doors.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 8:45 PM on August 27, 2014
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 8:45 PM on August 27, 2014
Ann Arbor's fairy doors (but photographing humans in them would be difficult).
posted by brujita at 8:53 PM on August 27, 2014
posted by brujita at 8:53 PM on August 27, 2014
Well it looks like you don't need an actual door as such. Interesting doorways at Quarai ruins, part of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
posted by yohko at 9:03 PM on August 27, 2014
posted by yohko at 9:03 PM on August 27, 2014
The St. Louis Arch.
I presume that there's a real place in Redwoods Nat'l Park where you can drive through the middle of a tree.
The Apollo/Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center. The main doorway, a hanger-like door, lets you stand under the business end of the Saturn V's five massive F-1 Engine bells. This rocket is huge beyond huge. Pic. Alternately, the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the Saturn Vs were assembled to their full height and then rolled, very slowly, through the doors. It's one of the biggest buildings on the planet, and of course it's a functioning workspace; you probably don't want to be close to the actual doorway for both reasons.
posted by Sunburnt at 9:22 PM on August 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
I presume that there's a real place in Redwoods Nat'l Park where you can drive through the middle of a tree.
The Apollo/Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center. The main doorway, a hanger-like door, lets you stand under the business end of the Saturn V's five massive F-1 Engine bells. This rocket is huge beyond huge. Pic. Alternately, the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the Saturn Vs were assembled to their full height and then rolled, very slowly, through the doors. It's one of the biggest buildings on the planet, and of course it's a functioning workspace; you probably don't want to be close to the actual doorway for both reasons.
posted by Sunburnt at 9:22 PM on August 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
Near Seattle Center, there's a freestanding doorway 'The Red Door' commemorating Aunt Ester, a character from several of playwright August Wilson's works.
posted by lois1950 at 9:35 PM on August 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by lois1950 at 9:35 PM on August 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
I presume that there's a real place in Redwoods Nat'l Park where you can drive through the middle of a tree.
Well, no.
But there are 3 redwoods you can drive through on private land.
Or you might be thinking of the sequoia in Yosemite.
For a picture of a yoga pose in the redwoods a tree with a natural arch of the right size and proportions might be a nice sort of frame. Redwoods are surprisingly difficult to get any sense of in a photo of if you are trying to keep to any sort of book-paged sort of height and width though. But you can find nice arch shapes leading into the interior of the trees and burl at their bases of the trunks.
posted by yohko at 9:46 PM on August 27, 2014
Well, no.
But there are 3 redwoods you can drive through on private land.
Or you might be thinking of the sequoia in Yosemite.
For a picture of a yoga pose in the redwoods a tree with a natural arch of the right size and proportions might be a nice sort of frame. Redwoods are surprisingly difficult to get any sense of in a photo of if you are trying to keep to any sort of book-paged sort of height and width though. But you can find nice arch shapes leading into the interior of the trees and burl at their bases of the trunks.
posted by yohko at 9:46 PM on August 27, 2014
There is a nice art nouveau gate in Portland's Old Town near 2nd and Couch. At least I think it is still there.
posted by pheide at 10:55 PM on August 27, 2014
posted by pheide at 10:55 PM on August 27, 2014
Washington Square Arch in Washington Square Park at the base of 5th Ave in NYC.
posted by marsha56 at 2:54 AM on August 28, 2014
posted by marsha56 at 2:54 AM on August 28, 2014
A painted turquoise door set in an adobe building in Santa Fe or Taos New Mexico.
posted by MadMadam at 5:30 AM on August 28, 2014
posted by MadMadam at 5:30 AM on August 28, 2014
If you know anyone who works for an airline that could arrange this: one of my favorite pictures is of a plane that was inserted halfway into the hangar for maintenance with the door closed around it (they have a canvas panel that fits in the big doorway and closes around the middle of the plane). The tail was sticking out into the sunshine and it gave a view of airplanes that you don't normally think of.
posted by CathyG at 6:37 AM on August 28, 2014
posted by CathyG at 6:37 AM on August 28, 2014
Had the idea that a yoga pose in front of an arch-style entrance to a military base might be an interesting juxtaposition. So I googled "us military base archway", and found two other types of arches/portals that I didn't expect. (Links are to random results of the search.)
Members of the military holding swords over a newly-married couple
Start/finish line of a race
Military base entrance
Some other cool entrances:
abandoned u.s. factory entrances
state fair entrances
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:31 AM on August 28, 2014
Members of the military holding swords over a newly-married couple
Start/finish line of a race
Military base entrance
Some other cool entrances:
abandoned u.s. factory entrances
state fair entrances
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:31 AM on August 28, 2014
Let us know when you have finished this project. It sounds fascinating, and I'd love to see it!
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:34 AM on August 28, 2014
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:34 AM on August 28, 2014
There is the peace arch at the border on the I-5 heading up to Vancouver.
posted by Poldo at 8:53 AM on August 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Poldo at 8:53 AM on August 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
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posted by spunweb at 7:53 PM on August 27, 2014