Dan Antion

2020 in Review – Thursday Doors

847 Asylum Avenue.

Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.

Once again, I need to start with a little housekeeping. Some of you may be wondering what the heck happened to your pingback. Well, in some cases, I deleted it. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate pingbacks because it means you are helping readers at your site to find the rest of us. Thanks for that. However, when you leave a pingback and a link in your comment, the pingback might be confusing, so I remove it. Of the two, I prefer the link you leave in a comment, especially when you entice us with a few words about your post. So, don’t change anything, I’ll take care of the confusion on this end, and thank you for supporting Thursday Doors.

2020 has been such a crazy year, that I almost don’t want to offer any type of recognition to it. Still, I managed to slide a post under Norm’s door most every week, so I guess that’s something. I was scraping the editing room floor on occasion, but I managed to put some doors up. In fact, blogging in general and Thursday Doors in specific were some of the few stable elements of this otherwise screwball year.

As has been the tradition around here for a few years, this week – the last official Thursday Doors post of the year – has been a week to look back and highlight a few of our favorite doors. I always start out with a goal of twelve doors. I always end up closer to twenty. As I write this, I haven’t stepped into the media library, so who knows where I’ll end up.

Before I create a gallery for you to view, I want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. Whatever holiday you celebrate or however you mark the end of 2020 and the entrance of 2021, I hope you enjoy yourself, and that you stay safe and healthy. No messages or directives here, you’re all adults, I think you can handle it. But be clear about one thing, we want to see you posting in 2021 – you are important to this community.

This is the exit from New Haven’s Union Station to the taxi stand. I always liked this photo.
That’s David inspecting the locomotive.
Corner door on the corner of Broadway and Bleaker St in Manhattan. Check out the rounded corner at the top.
On the way to the park.
Another view of the featured image.
A second entrance near the center of Atlantic Screw Works
Another view of the Congregational Church in Suffield.
The Blacksmith Shop.
Goodwin One Room School
I was surprised they didn’t replace the historic door, but I’m glad they didn’t.
A bridge, a gate and a door, but I wouldn’t try using any of them
Gaylord Public Library in Holyoke, MA.
The angled corners make this house look smaller than it is.
Back entrance to one of the churches on the street. I was parked at this location.
847 Asylum Avenue.
I didn’t catch the name, but that’s a beautiful entrance. Also at Mount Holyoke College.
Williston Library. Isn’t that a magnificent entrance?
Side entrance to the chapel.
Campus chapel.

If you are in a hurry and don’t wish to scroll through the comments, click to Jump to the comment form.

129 comments

  11. Williston Library is perfect from the front entrance up to the roof! Love the little green train. The entrance to the building at Mount Holyoke College is beautiful. Imagine the stories these doors could tell about all who passed through them!
    Ginger

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Ginger. One thing 2020 did do was give an old guy a chance to walk around the campus of a women’s college without getting a hundred shady looks. The history on the campus is amazing, you can feel it as you walk around. The train, and David checking it out, is one of my all time favorite photos and memories.

      Enjoy the snow :)

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    • Thanks Maggie. That’s a good observation. I believe those two buildings share one more thing, they were both donated by people who wanted to promote learning.

      I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  17. Dan, Excellent gallery of your favourite doors from 2020. I particularly like the yellow house and the train photos. Wishing you a relaxing holiday season and a happy New Year 2021! I just started taking more door photos after joining the challenge two weeks ago so it was easy for me to select three favourite and very different doors from 2020.

    Here’s my entry:
    https://natalietheexplorer.home.blog/2020/12/17/my-favourite-doors-from-2020/

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. Hard to pick a favorite out of these, Dan, but I enjoyed trying. Thanks again for taking up the challenge of being the a-door-able host for the challenge and although I’m sure I’ll “see” you again before the 25th, merry Christmas to you, The Editor, Faith, and the three who really run things.

    I actually did my first review post and here it is:

    https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2020/12/17/thursday-doors-2020-favorites/

    janet

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  26. That first photo is so pretty…lighting, colors, everything. And the angled house–I could live there. You do find such wonderful doors, Dan. How’s the weather where you are? That was a major headline on the news….all week. Hope all is well with you and your family.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I could live in the house with the two turrets. I wish I could buy it and restore it to its grand past.

      We have about 14″ of snow on the ground, and it’s still snowing. We’re safe and warm. MiMi is enjoying a fire in the wood stove and Maddie is eagerly awaiting her paths – she gave me a look when she didn’t have to squat to get to the ground.

      Liked by 1 person

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  27. Happy Thursday, Dan. What a fabulous gallery. Now that’s a true collection of favorites. I could never choose just one. I love the Taxi Cab door, with the man walking purposefully through. That image is really a doorway to the imagination. Then, I can’t see the name Asylum Avenue without wanting to write a story set there.
    Since I can’t play along properly, with my own photos, I did a unique take on the Doors post. I’m sharing my collection of Doors themed book covers. Hugs on the wing!
    https://teagansbooks.com/2020/12/16/wednesday-writing-for-thursday-doors/

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  31. I was only able to contribute twice this year, but maybe I will be out and about more in 2021 – fingers crossed. Dan, I enjoyed your choices for your 2020 review. I am a big fan of trains and small buildings – thus the shed and the blacksmith shops are favorites. There is a huge farmhouse here, painted yellow, and I always find a big yellow house inviting. Have a wonderful holiday and I look forward to seeing you in the new year!

    Liked by 1 person

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  33. Nice 2020 doors, Dan. I’m glad you found sanctuary in the weekly door event. We all needed something to get us through a messed-up year and the craziness that went with it. Hopefully, we’ll all be able to get out more in 2021 to take photos of the things that bring us joy.

    Have a wonderful day and hope you are enjoying your fresh blanket of snow.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I hope you’re right, Mary. I have enough doors for a couple weeks in January, but I need to get back out there. The 14″ blanket of snow was beautiful and a bit of a challenge. I managed to get it all cleared, but it was a good day’s work.

      Liked by 1 person

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  39. Oh, Dan, this is a wonderful gallery. It started off magnificently already, the Exit is such a great image, but then it only escalated and ended with four most spectacular doors. I’m also extremely pleased to see that the images are bigger this time. Did that tool help?

    Here is my Mexcessive doors 2020 post with 35 photos. You will notice that it also includes my Thursday Doors badge proposal. I’ll link to your contest page as well. All well to you and stay happy.

    https://mexcessive.photo.blog/2020/12/17/thursday-doors-17-12-20-best-of-2020/

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Dan. I am the official door guy, for better or worse. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I’ve been reading scary news from your side of the country. I hope you guys are safe.

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  44. I blame it on this chaotic year, that I had the wrong Thursdays in mind. When you had the review (last Thurs in Dec) and when you were taking off – this Thursday! I came to your blog for the one-liner, and saw this post – I guess I am getting old! A lame excuse – I know (crooked smile) But at least I can look at other people’s reviews! Have a merry weekend, and don’t let the stress get to you! Jesh

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I’m sorry for the confusion. We do take entries until noon on Saturday, if that helps. In any case, I’m glad you’re here today, and I hope you will continue to join us in 2021. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday season.

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  47. Another extraordinary photo collection of amazing doors. I particularly enjoyed the artistry of the door by the center of the Atlantic Screw Works. Thank you, Dan. Visiting your site is always a delight. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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  55. Hi Dan – I love the ‘old boy’ going out for his taxi – delightful photo. I enjoy seeing all the doors you post … congratulations on taking over from Norm – here’s to a very happy Doors in 2021 series … and to the organisation for it. Enjoy some time out from being here … and see you early in 2021 – I don’t think your commenters will be much reduced. Have fun with the family and four, two, and ‘no’ footers … Hilary

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    • Thanks Hilary. I really like the guy leaving the train station. That was one of those accidental photos that turned out nice. I’m looking forward to 2021. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season

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  56. What a great finale to an unusual year filled with interesting doors! I loved the library door and the contrasts of the other buildings with one another from the plain structure of the blacksmith shop to the final photo of the chapel. Thanks for taking on the role of leader of doors (!). I look forward to new posts in 2021.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks – it was the hardest year to get out and get photos, but we managed. 2021 is going to start hard, but I hope to have doors by mid-year from places I have to travel to see. Maybe even travel in an airplane – is that asking too much?

      I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  57. I enjoy all the recap posts that come out at this time of year. I notice the doors, Dan, but the architecture is so varied too. A fun gallery! Yes, let’s leave this year behind for a newer, shinier model that works a whole lot better for us. Merry Christmas. :-)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  60. hey dan, I hope you don’t mind my linking this post for my doors this week – I can change it later today, but i will be offline for most of the day today (Thursday) and wanted to post it before I logged off – so please let me know if you want to me to add it to the January post when it comes out – I will be back online on Friday –
    and hope you are having a nice week and happy thursday amigo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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