Dan Antion

Stately Springfield Doors

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.

I want to begin with a brief reminder that we are now in the final week of the First Annual Writing Challenge. We have had quite a few entries so far, and I think there are a couple more entries arriving this week. Feel free to join the challenge.

After touring the Dr. Seuss Museum, I didn’t have much time to tour The Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District in which the museum is located. The district includes a variety of buildings, from residences to churches, to government buildings. The quadrangle area is home to the Springfield museums and there are two cathedrals located on the quad as well – both the Roman Catholic Diocese and the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts are headquartered in Springfield.

In addition to the cathedrals, both diocese have administrative buildings in the area. Given the number of interesting doors, I am going to spread this out over two weeks. There are also a few other interesting buildings in the area. I don’t know much about them, but I know what I like. My usual source for information on historic districts, the US National Registry of Historic Places has not yet made the information on this district available in their on-line repository.

My bad research luck continued when I arrived at The Episcopal Cathedral website. First, my browser security program advised me that “this site may have been hacked” and nothing on the page behaves as one would expect. So, I offer you the following (edited) excerpt from Wikipedia (yes, yes, I know…)

“…The Rev’d Henry Washington Lee, the son of Col. Lee, took charge of the congregation on October 28, 1838 and it was reorganized. Henry Lee went on to become the first Episcopal Bishop of Iowa in 1854.

Property was acquired in 1839 and a new church was built. … The new church was a rectangular building with a square turreted cupola. The building was enlarged in 1851 after then rector, Abram Newkirk Littlejohn recognized the need to expand. In addition to more seating, the project added a chancel, vestry room and library…

The parish continued to grow and by the 1870s when it was determined a larger church was needed, and the present church was built at a new site on Chestnut Street that was acquired in 1874. Construction began the same year and the first service was held on May 21, 1876. A new Processional Cross and Office Lights (all still in use today) were designed by the famous Henry Vaughan as early works by the now famous architect of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and produced by the famous Gorham company. The tower of the new church cracked early on and had to be removed. It was rebuilt in 1927.”

Not much information, but I think you will enjoy the photos.

This was the best shot I could get of the door to this building without violating the intention of that chain.
There should be a door if there’s a balcony.
Ooooh, brick building, narrow wooden door. I like this.
This building on the corner is showing some door-promise.
I like the narrow door and the ghost window.
I don’t know what this building is, but I love that entrance.
The details are impressive.
This is the south side of the Episcopal cathedral.
One of the entrances to the cathedral.
Beautiful red doors and black iron hinges.
I would love to see that window from the inside.
I love the curved divided transom windows.
This is an office building of the Episcopal church.
Episcopal offices, I wouldn’t mind walking through that door to go to work.

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120 comments

  2. Hi Dan – lovely photos … enticing us in – except no open doors! The narrow door, the house without a door (apparently) – but a lovely balcony to sit upon to watch the world go by, and the red door – gorgeous. Spring has arrived in Springfield – thanks for sharing – cheers Hilary

    Liked by 2 people

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  6. Some fine doors there, Dan. Regarding ghost windows – you see quite a few of them in buildings build before 1800 because Pitt the Younger brought in a window tax to finance the Napoleonic Wars, so people bricked up windows to avoid the tax. I am celebrating Leicester City Football Club’s triumph in the FA Cup (something like the Superbowl) earlier this month. https://drprunesquallor279704606.wordpress.com/2021/05/27/thursday-doors-fa-cup/

    Liked by 3 people

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    • Thanks for the information on the ghost window. Taxes, and what people do to avoid them is an interesting subject. Congratulations on your team winning the FA Cup – that’s certainly worth celebrating.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I’m just going to call these “Episcopal Doors” – red, a sharp arch and large black hinges. I’m glad you like them.

      Good find in your archives!

      Like

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  16. The Episcopal Cathedral is a beauty from top to bottom and side to side. Beautiful collection of red doors. I like the entrance to the “unknown” building too. The brickwork and stonework in these buildings is amazing, and the same goes for all the detail work on trim.
    Ginger

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks Ginger. It is hard to choose. I love the detail woodwork around that unknown entrance, but it’s hard to vote against red doors.

      We got our rain last night, I hope you were able to sleep,

      Like

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  20. Beautiful door tour! But, yes, balconies without doors? Maybe there’s a ghost door, kind of like a ghost window. I suppose that’s the thing about doors, though: there’s always a bit of a question.

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. Ooo, what a brilliant visit you had. The light is wonderful in these photos. It makes the red bricks and glorious red doors shine even more. My favourite photo is either with the blooming tree in front of the door. And what a window too!!

    My doors are fresh from this Sunday. Villa Cetinale was the first stop out of three properties. Quite a start too.

    https://mexcessive.photo.blog/2021/05/27/thursday-doors-27-5-21-villa-cetinale-1/

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed this, Manja. I need to go back when I have more time to explore the entire area, but I’ll have to wait until more of the buildings are open.

      You took s on a delightful tour.

      Liked by 1 person

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  25. You certainly have original doors today, Dan! I especially like the red cathedral doors. But the most original has to go to the windows that double as doors to the balconies!!

    Liked by 1 person

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  27. The red door and interesting brick work around it is interesting.  And is it the angle or is there a missing column (right) on the entryway you like?

    Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

    Liked by 1 person

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  32. Beautiful photos, as always! I love the red doors, and seeing the basement bulkhead doors brought back all kinds of memories of living in CT. Great post, Dan! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  34. Stately is a great description of these doors, Dan. LOL, I had to go back and look again at the “ghost door.” That’s intriguing. The red doors on a cathedral send my fantasy-writer brain to all sorts of ironic, mixed-message type stories. They are very cool though. Hugs on the wing.

    Liked by 1 person

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  39. Where would we be without Wikipedia? It’s helped me out on numerous occasions when I couldn’t find what I was looking for elsewhere. Your buildings this week are very elegant, Dan. I particularly like those red doors with the beautiful ironwork. Hackers are very busy these days. Our national health service had a cyber attack and a ransom was demanded, which hasn’t been paid. It’s caused lots of cancelations and no end of trouble but the government say they will not give in to the hackers.

    Liked by 1 person

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  43. I didn’t know that a cupola could be a square & turreted. I thought they all were round. Huh. Great photos, btw. The narrow door with the ghost window looks like a scene from a murder mystery.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I was surprised to see that big window on the side of the church. I wish I knew the history. I suspect that at one point, that side might have been the back of the church. I know it was expanded.

      I agree that your doors go with your post. Thanks for also linking here.

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  52. Seems like a wonderful spring day to have your excursion. There was a day around here at least, when church doors could be left open for visits/viewing during the week. Times have sure changed.

    Liked by 1 person

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  54. The divided transom window is a nice change from the radial spokes which often divide a transom window. I loved that red door with hinges too, but the tree in front of it even more. What is it? Dogwood?

    Your Thursday Doors prompt no longer appears in my reader, but your other posts do. Any idea why? Without the prompt from the reader I hope I don’t forget to come and look. Here’s mine this week:
    https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/2021/05/27/anashakti-ashram/

    Liked by 1 person

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  58. Dan, This is a wonderful collection of doors. I like the colour combination of spring green leaves, red doors and black hinges. Congrats on the success of your Thursday Doors writing challenge, too. Have a great week!

    Liked by 1 person

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