Doors without casings in the Oval Office.

June 23, 2017 10:34 AM

Whenever I watch a show about the American President and Oval Office, I notice that every depiction has at least two doors that appear to have no casings or door jams. Why is that? Aesthetics? Shoddy carpentry? Clearly visible in the current seasons of Veep and House of Cards.
posted by Keith Talent to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Best answer: This Quora answer by an architect suggests that it's so the decor isn't too busy. And a reddit post says the detail was removed in the 1930s and has before and after photos.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:42 AM on June 23, 2017 [7 favorites]

Not sure if it applies to the Oval Office, but I've seen doors like that in old high-end buildings if they lead to service rooms or passages (or some other space that it was undesirable or indiscreet to have visible).
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 4:41 PM on June 23, 2017