Dan Antion

Shave & a Haircut

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.

Technically, the title should read “Trim & a Haircut” since I only have my beard trimmed, but… OK, what’s so important about my trip to the barber? My barber is on Franklin Ave. Franklin Ave merges with Maple Ave. in the South End of Hartford. Franklin Ave. as been under construction lately and I decided to avoid the congested detour by taking Maple Ave all the way into Hartford (to pick up my friend. To go to breakfast at the place with the potatoes, bacon and eggs I shared yesterday). Of course, on the way to pick up my friend, I noticed some doors.

Most of the doors are ordinary retail and residential structures. The only photos I looked into were those of

St. Augustine Parish was established in August 1902 with Fr. Michael Barry appointed as its first pastor. At that time, a church building had not yet been constructed so Mass was offered at the Washington Street School until a basement chapel was completed in 1903. The current Romanesque-style church was completed in 1912 and dedicated by Bishop John J. Nilan of the then Diocese of Hartford in June of that year. By 1928, a school had been constructed and was run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery. On July 23, 1934, the Hartford City Council named the surrounding area of the church “Barry Square” in honor of the parish’s first pastor.

Wikipedia

If you read the captions on the photos in the gallery, the “Barry Square” thing will be important.

Located on Maple Ave, south of the intersection with Franklin Ave.
Not my barber shop, but a barber shop.
Rooster’s Chicken & Waffles – I think it’s opening soon.
Maple Mini Market
This home has been turned into apartments. Can you imagine when it was a single-family house.
Also not my barber shop
Many of the homes have been turned into retail at the street level and apartments above.
Smoke shop
Dr Michael D. Fox Elementary School. Main entrance – huge corner door
Barry Square Little Free Library
Dr Michael D. Fox Elementary School – side entrance
Apartments across the street from the church
Art Cinema
Funeral and crematorium
Hartford Public Library Camfield Branch
Ecclesia Sancti Augustini
Ecclesia Sancti Augustini and Parsonage

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The Evil You Choose
When Evil Chooses You

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127 comments

    • That was the first thought I had when I saw the church, Robbie. The area was largely settled by Italian immigrants. In recent years, this church and and another were merged, but the diocese decided to keep this building.

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    • The business range across a wide variety of stores and services. I am glad to see the stately homes survive, even if they’ve been carved into apartments.

      You found some very interesting doors to share.

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  9. I am in awe of that school! That’s an elementary school? Is it still used as a school? It appears that this neighborhood has undergone a lot of change, but that school and church seem to say that the past was built to stay and stay it will. I’m with Bushboy above: there will be one or two of us who will carry your title with us for a while in our heads whether we want it or not!

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  10. The corner entrance to the Fox Elementary School is fabulous. I would’ve gladly paid my “two bits” to go there! The side entrance is quite impressive as well. Impressive entry to the church.

    Love the Barry Square Free Library!

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  11. Yep, WP grabbed my comment before I could finish! Hmmmmm, perhaps WP is suggesting I don’t know when to shut up!

    I was going to say, before I was so rudely interrupted, when that apartment house was a single family, can you imagine cleaning that monster? 🤗

    Ginger

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    • Trying to slide by anonymously, huh? It’s a public Pre-K to Grade-5 school, and breakfast won’t even cost you two-bits, Ginger.

      Once can only hope that family had a lot of kids to help with the cleaning.

      Sorry about WordPress acting up. I need to get it back on its chain. I hope you’re having a greta week.

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    • You are correct Frank. That school was originally built in the 1920s as Bulkeley High School. Today it serves PRe-K to Grade-5. Bulkeley High School was moved to a new location a few blocks to the southeast. The little free library is my favorite door today. I’ve never seen one with two doors.

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  15. Hi Dan – well barbers are (will be!) my subject this week … somewhat different – but that little library is a delight – wonderful to see – and all those doors, large houses now apartments, as here too … many of them. Mind you big houses, more space between things … easier to clean, but with more rooms! Cheers Hilary

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    • I can’t imagine cleaning those houses, but I think I would have enjoyed exploring them. The little free library is my favorite door today. I’ll look for your barber post. I’m still not getting notifications, but I eventually get around to searching for you.

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      • At the rate I’m going … tomorrow … but my brain too needs to stay in gear to who is missing from my feed now … thanks for looking for me – always good to know?! H

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  19. The title got me intrigued and I had to click on Robbie’s Twitter share of this post🙂. Thursday doors reminded me Thursday is here…its a little difficult to keep track when one is on traveling.

    Coming to the doors, I found the structure of the Elementary school building looks very interesting.

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    • Thanks for clicking on that tweet (and thanks to Robbie) Smitha. The elementary school was built as a high school in the 1920s but has been restored and upgraded as Pre-K to Grade-5. I hope you are settled in your new place. It’s good to see you.

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      • Hi Dan, I stayed in Dhaka for 3 days and am currently in Dubai as Sanjay, my husband is here on work. Couldn’t be in Dhaka on my own as it’s all too new to me.I’m enjoying meeting friends in Dubai :). Thank you for asking.

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    • Hartford can be a little dicey to visit these days. Unfortunately, there is lots of crime. There are some beautiful sections, and the city has a proud history. I wish they could find their niche and get the local economy rolling.

      Gret doors from Porto!

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    • I loved the doors on that school. It’s funny, I’ve seen pictures of this school, by it’s old name and they didn’t make any sense, since I driver by what I guess is the new location of Bulkeley High School often. Now I understand. Bulkeley was moved, this school was renovated, renamed and turned into an elementary school.

      Thanks for your wonderful colorful doors today.

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  27. Great doors, Dan. Interestingly, the homes have been turned into retail shops. Way back in the twenties, most stores had owners living above them. That school is huge, or at least it looks that way. Thanks for sharing.

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    • That school is huge, John. It was built in the 1920s as a high school, but serves Pre-k to Grade-5 today. Must be a lot of little ones running around in the south end. I mentioned to someone earlier that there were at least three stores in peoples’ homes within walking distance of the house were I lived until I was about 10. My grandparents had run a store out of their apartment building in the 1920s, but closed it during the Depression.

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  28. Haircuts – yes they have to be done, even once in a while:) My favorite building is on the fifth row, with that gorgeous big window on the second story. Am smiling – now yellow seems to be a more acceptable color nowadays:) Here are my doors

    UNEXPECTED HELP

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  34. A very eclectic array of architecture. I agree with your comment on the homes that have been turned into apartments. I also realized that the architecture of older schools has similar styles across the country. From growing up in Iowa, to living in Denver, San Diego, Los Angeles and Seattle and the East Coast. Having said that maybe most of them were built and financed during the Great Depression of the 20’s.

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  35. […] Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2022/10/06/shave-a-haircut/ […]

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  37. That school…! Thankfully, all of our schools have orientation for the newest class so they have a couple days to get the layout before the entire student body shows up.
    My husband always trims his own beard/moustache, but once my old hairdresser said, ‘Get over here and let me clean you up!’ He trimmed his moustache way above his top lip–it looked awful. Husband said, ‘never again!’ and trims it himself.

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  39. Not all doors can have history, Dan, so that’s fine. :-) My husband would love the chicken and waffle place I’m sure and I like the little library with an extra room. I’ve never seen one like that before! I’m late linking up today but had a relaxing morning with coffee and a phone conversation with our younger daughter while sitting outside among olive trees at The Olive Mill. Can’t beat that but here we go: https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2022/10/06/thursday-doorsfairy-interesting-doors/#tinydoors/#tinyhouses/#fairydoors.

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    • I had never seen a little free library like this one, either. That’s my favorite door(s) today. So far, I have a few votes for Rooster’s Chicken $ Waffles. I might have to try that once they open.

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  54. Two bits! (Somebody had to say it.)

    The now-funeral home would have been a lovely house to live in I think. For those commenting on having to clean the house that is now apartments – you seriously think people who lived in a house like that did their own cleaning?

    That is one impressive school, elementary or otherwise.

    Liked by 1 person

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