Dan Antion

Charter Oak Pl – Thursday Doors

Our Thursday Doors Badge for 2021

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.

We have a badge! We had eight entries, and almost fifty votes were cast. You, the participants and readers of Thursday Doors chose the entry by Suzanne at Picture Retirement to be our badge for 2021. Congratulations Suzanne!

Feel free to copy the badge so that you can use it in your future posts or add it to your sidebar. During the year, the badge will appear on my sidebar, above the link to my upcoming post.

My barber works out of a shop in the south-end of Hartford. I get my hair cut around 7:00 am. These days, there is no traffic. The downtown workforce is crowded around remote monitors and Zoom meetings. This has been interesting in that it gives me the luxury of looking around a bit. The day of my appointment in November, I was sitting at a stop light when I noticed a road I didn’t recall ever seeing before. The road is Charter Oak Place, an offshoot of Charter Oak Boulevard (the road I was on and one of the major roads in the south end neighborhood. As I looked up the hill, I caught an interesting building in the corner of my eye, and any door lover can tell you what followed.

The fact that this little neighborhood struck me as being interesting is understandable. The entire neighborhood has been added to the US National Registry of Historic Places. The description below and the black and white photos are from the nomination form for this neighborhood, prepared in 1977. I am encouraged by the fact that significant progress appears to have been made to preserve some historically significant homes that were in a precarious state in 1977. I have tried to organize the gallery in a before and after format.

Charter Oak Place is a short, tree-lined street in the south end of downtown Hartford, Although it is only a block from the main street, offices and factories, it is quiet and somewhat isolated because of the sharp turn at the north end and hills on three sides which reduce traffic. All but three of the 16 major buildings on the street are large homes of the Victorian period. Charter Oak Place was an upper class residential neighborhood in the 19th century, but now most of the houses have been divided into apartments; many are in poor condition and some are unoccupied. Recently, however, the City and local preservationists have targeted the area for rehabilitation and Charter Oak Place may regain its historical character as a residential neighborhood.

The nomination form includes descriptions of many buildings in the neighborhood. I don’t have space to include all the descriptions here, but I’m including the description of the building which first caught my attention.

Beginning at the north end of Charter Oak Place, across from the large apartment building, one encounters the first of a series of houses in the RomanoTuscan Renaissance Revival style. Number 38-40 is a brick double house, block-like in form, 3 stories high with a nearly flat roof. Because of the slope of the land, there is a full basement story not visible from the front. The windows, which have flat projecting caps and stone sills, are graduated in height with those of the third story greatly reduced. The main facade is symmetrical, four bays wide, with the entrances in the middle sheltered by a flat-roofed portico. The portico roof is supported by three square panelled columns in front and corresponding pilasters. It is not very Classical but beneath the projecting cornice is a row of round-arched ornaments resembling dentillation, a scheme repeated in the brick below the main cornice. There are remains of delicate iron balconies under the first story windows.

I hope you enjoy the comparison photos in the gallery

No38-40 and 34-36 – This is the house that caught my attention, as it looked in 1977.
This is the house I saw while sitting at the red light. Who among us wouldn’t turn up this street?
I think this is Nos 34-36.
Carriage House Behind No-12
This is the carriage house today and I really like this house.
No 12, today.
No 12, today.
No 12 with Nos 12 to 22-24 visible.
Number 7 with No 11 in background
Nos15and19 with No 23 visible in background
No 19 today. I love the work that has been done on this house.
No38-40 and 34-36
No 33 today.
Nos 22-24 and 20
No 20, today.
No 12 with Nos 12 to 22-24 visible
Nos 22 and 24 today.
I don’t think this house is included in the nomination form, but i really like it.
No 15 today.
One of the more drab houses on this street, but still very nice.
I don’t think this is represented in the NRHP nomination form.
I don’t think this is represented in the NRHP nomination form.

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

131 comments

  5. I love the badge (it’s the one I voted for!), and I love the photo collection today. Such dignity in these old structures. Hope you have a great day, Dan, with plenty of sunshine.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Thanks for your support, Gwen. I really do appreciate it. I’m glad you like the badge, I think it’s beautiful. We have some clear cold days in the forecast. I might get out for some pictures. I hope you have a good weekend (I know, early, but…).

      Liked by 1 person

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  6. Well done on organising the badge competition and it is great to see the winning entry – congratulations Suzanne.

    What a fine selection of buildings and such interesting and varied architecture. I like the doors 22 and 24, but there are some other intestine ones tucked away there.

    My offering this week are some doors very local to me from a walk I took during the Christmas break. https://scooj.org/2021/01/07/thursday-doors-7-january-2021/

    Liked by 3 people

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    • Welcome back after the break,

      I’m glad people supported the badge contest as well as they did. 50 votes is a lot for a WP poll.

      This street is so interesting, I was surprised that I never knew it was there.

      Liked by 1 person

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  8. Hi Dan – so pleased Suzanne’s badge was selected! What a beautiful street, full of lovely refurbished buildings … I’m so pleased to see them restored. Love them all … great start to your taking on Thursday Doors … all the best – Hilary

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks Hilary, Looking at the pictures from 1977, you get an idea of how much work went into repairing and preserving these homes. I was happy to find this street. It’s funny how it’s tucked into an odd corner of the city. I’m glad you lie the badge.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Pam! I like the badge, and I think it’s going to be fun to see it on the page. This neighborhood was on the brink of being demolished when they worked to add it to the Registry. Now it’s a beautiful area.

      Liked by 1 person

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  10. Congratulations to Suzanne!

    Dan, this collection of buildings and their doors and windows, trim and peaks is fabulous. Suffice it to say, there’s too many favorites to list them all, but #19 and the last two would be at the top of my list.
    Ginger

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks Ginger. We had eight good entries, but an orderly selection process prevailed :) I like the badge!

      There are too many good ones to pick a favorite, but your suggestions are high on my list. I’m just so glad this neighborhood was spared. It could easily have been leveled and become the home of luxury apartments.

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  11. First of all–congratulations to Suzanne! This little area is wonderful, Dan. I think #20 is my favorite. What do you call the arch over the top floor? That’s what intrigues me–besides the joy of being able to look out the very top floor–what a view that must be.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • I had to look that up in the nomination form. Here’s the excerpt.

      “The facade facing the street features a hexagonal bay, two stories in height, with an intricate ironwork cresting on top.”

      All of these houses are on a hill overlooking the city. The views must be wonderful.

      Liked by 1 person

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  13. What a charming neighborhood, Dan! I wouldn’t mind living in many of those homes. Interesting architecture with a welcoming feeling is lways a good place to live. Congrats to Suzanne for creating a lovely badge and happy Thursday to you.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Mary. When you look at the houses in 1977, it’s a minor miracle that they were preserved. A couple had already been destroyed by the time they nominated the neighborhood to the Registry. I’m glad they saved what they did. Yeah, I’d take any one of them.

      Liked by 1 person

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  17. Hi Dan, first of all, thanks to each of your readers who voted and for the congratulatory notes left here. I am both surprised and honored to have my images represent the Thursday Doors challenge for the next year. If your readers would like to know more about the doors in my image, they can click on this post https://picture-retirement.com/2020/12/13/life-behind-thursday-doors/

    I like the juxtaposition of the b/w images with the ones you took. What a treasure communities like this are and a good find by you. It is nice to see an entire neighborhood added to the registry.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Congratulations again Suzanne! I think your beautiful badge will add to the challenge. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t read about the doors in the collage to visit your post.

      I love it when I can find older pictures of the doors I spot. This was interesting in that the whole neighborhood (what was left of it, as they were already tearing it down) was included. Seeing the doors at their low point and then today makes me feel very good.

      Liked by 1 person

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  22. Congrats to Suzanne — that’s a cool image. It would be a great poster too.
    Dan, I love looking at the buildings you chose, both after and before. I don’t tend to like black & white pictures — except historic photos, which of course these are, but they are also hugely atmospheric. You know how they’re getting my storyteller brain in hyperdrive. LOL.
    My doors today are imaginary and whimsical. I hope everyone will visit. Hugs on the wing!
    https://teagansbooks.com/2021/01/06/wednesday-writing-thursday-doors-visiting-with-d-wallace-peach/

    Liked by 2 people

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    • The story behind today’s doors is a scary one, Teagan. Picture those lots leveled and used as a base for “modern” (in early 1980s) apartment buildings. That almost happened. I included the before and after shots because there almost wasn’t an after for most of these buildings. I love the preservation work that was done.

      Your “imaginary and whimsical” doors are a perfect addition to Thursday Doors. We accept photos, drawings, imagery of doors as well as stories and poems about doors. If it has a door in it, it’s welcome here.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • You’ve done several posts mentioning various places that were almost demolished. It’s encouraging to see people working to preserve them. Even the attempts to tear them down inspire different stories.
        Thanks for your reassurance about the kinds of doors. Cheers.

        Liked by 1 person

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        • It is encouraging, and if a little post about the hard work and commitment of some very good people helps, then I am happy to provide it. We all benefit when people step forward and preserve important artifacts.

          Liked by 1 person

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  25. If it were Thursday I would be happy to open one of these doors. And then close it to get away from Wednesday. It was a strange one. In fact the dial is still spinning wildly on the strange’o meter. I like that carriage house with the big turret and dome. The one where the turret is pulled down almost over the eyes – er windows. It looks like a gnome dome. Happy Thursday Dan.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • The carriage house is in the running with several others as my favorite, John. It’s a good thing I don’t have to pick one. It might be like asking you to pick a single favorite daylily (maybe Smoke Scream, but…). Hopefully the door to Wednesday is firmly shut,

      Liked by 1 person

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  26. Lovely start to this year’s Thursday Doors, Dan and a great badge, too. I’m amazed at how many old photos you found for the comparisons. I love Victorian buildings but not always a fan of the furniture as dust gets caught in all those decorative nooks and crannies – nice to look at as long as it’s in someone else’s house, lol. Here’s my first offering for 2021, thanks Dan, and my it be a good year for you and yours.
    https://jeanreinhardt.wordpress.com/2021/01/07/thursday-doors-first-of-2021/

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I wouldn’t mind doing some of the restoration work on these houses, Jean, but I wouldn’t want to be footing the bill. And I wouldn’t want to paint them. I was surprised that they included so many photos in the nomination form. They did a really good job of identifying the entire neighborhood as being worthy of designation. That’s hard to do, especially when there are folks out there who want to bulldoze the buildings into the ground.

      You bring us some wonderful doors to start the new year – thanks!

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  28. Congratulations to Suzanne for her Badge win!

    I liked them all! I’ve been collecting Hallmark’s Nostalgic Houses and Shops ornaments since the early ’80s and I would love, love, love them to do all these for the collection. I’d buy them all!

    Liked by 2 people

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  33. Looks like a pricey neighborhood, but great for beautiful buildings and doors. I still have difficulty to recognized the Victorian style , since I never lived in one, or grew up in (since my background is in the Netherlands – no Victorian styles there)/
    Still in Christmas mood https://wp.me/p9EWyp-2yK

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks, and thanks for your very interesting contribution today. I mentioned earlier that there are many ways to participate in Thursday Doors.

      I wish I new more about that last building. I’m not sure if it was there in the 70s. I would have thought they would have included it in the nomination form. It is at the end of the street, perhaps outside the area, but it’s a beauty.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Natalie. It s hard to choose, they are several remarkable houses on this street. I’m just glad they have all been preserved. Your doors are magnificent. Good luck with your challenge!

      Like

      Reply

    • Thanks Manja, I’m glad I turned down that street, too. The door-jewels are tucked away around here. You seem to have lovely doors around every corner. I just got back from reading your post. Good job – Happy New Year!

      Liked by 1 person

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  53. The door badge photo is wonderful, especially the light that peeks through the slightly opened door. And, what a find! The doors and historical homes are a real treasure. You must have been in heaven. Thank you so much for making them a doors post, Dan. The carriage house is my favorite.

    Liked by 1 person

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  55. The link to the comment form is the BEST feature
    And Dan – glad they preserved and are reserving this neighborhood
    And it was fun sitting at the light with you and feeling like we turned to notice it with you!
    Lovely doors and more
    And wishing you a nice Sunday amigo

    Liked by 1 person

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  56. Also – love the badge – the center title is easy to read – font good and white in blue is fresh – and then love the three horizontal sections
    The entries were so good but this is truly a great one to have

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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