Dan Antion

Pittsburgh Church 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 have been saving these photos since my visit to Pittsburgh last August. I’m not sure why, other than I had other doors at the time. Then, I decided that I’d wait and feature these for Easter(s). Plural as this Sunday is Easter, but next Sunday is Pascha (Orthodox Easter). Being only a week apart this year (sometimes it’s as many as four weeks) it seemed like a good time, since I have enough doors for two weeks.

Before I lead you into the gallery, I want to mention the upcoming Third Annual Thursday Doors Writing Challenge in May. The challenge runs during the month of May, but it is fueled buy your inspiring doors. So dear Thursday Doors participants, the challenge now is yours. Search your archives, and find one, two or (maximum) three of your door photos as inspiration for a writer. Writers can study the doors, pick one (or more) and craft a blog post, flash fiction, poem, short-story, play, musical, novel, screen play…well, you get the picture. The writing will be linked to a special page that I will set up on May 1st and leave open until May 31st.

In order to gather these doors, I need those of you who have joined us (recently or in the past) to provide them to me. You can do that one of two ways. You can send me an email (noFacilities at gmail dot com) containing the image of the door(s) – it doesn’t have to be large, 600×800 is fine, or you can send me a link to the specific door you want to offer. Note: if you open your media library, click on an image, on the right-hand side will show you the URL of the image. Please don’t send me to a blog post and say “second row, third from left” because I will mess that up. Please include a little text that I can include with the image. If you want to also include the post in which the image appeared, I will link to it

This is the link you should send me

At the end of April, I will assemble the inspirational images into a gallery for writers to swoon over, and I will publish the full instructions for the writing challenge.

If you want to see examples of doors and writing, you can visit the last year’s Writing Challenge page.

Note: I know some of the authors are chomping at the bit to get going. That’s fine, but I won’t be listing entries until May 1st.

I have included a variety of views of a few buildings.

This church seems to have been abandoned
I love how all of this facade draws your attention up
I’m not sure what these buildings are/were but I love the shapes
The windows in the round structure suggest a circular staircase
The sign above the door indicates this building now includes art galleries
I’m guessing that this was a school at one point
A side entrance to the lower level
This yellow brick is quite popular in western Pennsylvania
This is an Orthodox church. I love the door
I like the towers and onion domes
Not quite as elegant, but I’m sure the services are equally inspirational
A bit unkempt, but I like it
A slightly more modern church
I tried a variety of close-up images

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


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103 comments

    • As I continue with these doors next week, you’ll see that there are/were four churches in close proximity. I hope to find a little more about them. I wanted to be able to announce the “call for doors” for the upcoming challenge today, which is why I decided to spread this out.

      I liked your door today. I have to wonder about the story that goes with it. Maybe someone would like to write that…I hope you will contribute a photo to the challenge.

      Liked by 1 person

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  8. Thanks to the yellow brick church, I now have “follow the yellow brick road” stuck in my head. You have a gift for this. However, it’s worth it to have seen that church. It’s a beauty! If you ever should get inside, I hope you’ll get lots more photos for us. School and church used to be a regular side-by-side, so I think that’s a good guess; that whole facility is quite impressive, and just a bit mysterious. Your gallery is a thoughtful glance at all the ways we need to gather.

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    • I began humming that song as soon as I wrote those words, Maureen. Sorry. I am always amazed at the structures people of modest means could build for worship. I kept snapping pictures because it seemed to have details pop out from every angle. I was amazed by the fact that these different churches sit almost on top of each other. I hope to share more information, as well as one more church in the same neighborhood, next week.

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    • I hope to post the story of finding these churches next week, Teresa. There’s also one more that was in the same area. Churches are always good for doors.

      I liked your roadside photos.

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  14. Excellent photos, Dan! I like the round shapes on the buildings. The rounded roof on the side building with the windows reminds me of the medieval style.
    My favorite is that rounded archway with the slightly unkept lawn/grass. The colors and brickwork are modestly elegant.
    Thanks for the introduction to the writing challenge…I am working myself up to “swoon” over the submitted photo entries.!

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    • Pittsburgh is a city of immigrants, and they brought their culture with them and shared it. When these churches were built, most of the area worked in steel mills and related industries. I’m glad you like these photos, Frank.

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  16. Wow! Some of these structures resemble castles. I love it. The Orthodox Church entryway is phenomenal. I never would have equated the windows in that tower-like structure to indicate a spiral staircase, but you are absolutely right. Love the yellow brick church. Incredible workmanship on all these buildings, especially to the details. I particularly like the “not so elegant” church. It proves you can worship anywhere.
    Ginger

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    • That’s exactly why I included the simple church, Ginger. We don’t need grand structures. On the other hand, the people in this area built several. There’s one more grand church that I’ll share next week, and these are all in a one-block area along the river.

      I’m not sure what the building with the tower is. I’m guessing it’s some sort of rectory or office, but it seems a little out of place. Still, I really like it. The brick work in these buildings is amazing. These were definitely inspired craftsmen at work.

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  27. Hi Dan. I’m glad you are doing this challenge again this year. I’ll make a couple of new door images to offer.
    That yellow brick work really is attractive and unusual. The architecture is gorgeous too, but I think the yellow adds more to it than I would have realized.
    Oh, I was so excited about the writing/image challenge that I almost forgot. My Doors post includes a sort of recap for my weekend blog serial. I hope everyone will visit. Hugs.

    Wednesday Writing & #ThursdayDoors — Layers (Atonement in Zugzwang Catch-up)

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  29. I love the orthodox church! And that promise of a rounded staircase. And that former school. Next week I’ll be in Slovenia but I’ll come up with some sort of door poem on Thursday. And by the end of the month I’ll choose my writing challenge doors.

    Today I concluded that exercise course around the school which started two weeks ago with some added doors. Just that today’s poem is rather non-sensical, I’m afraid. It’s such a day, full moon and all that. https://manjameximexcessive6.wordpress.com/2023/04/06/day-6-thursday-doors-6-4-23-capalbio-scalo-primary-school-2/#Tuscany#Capalbio#school#fitness

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    • I’m glad you like these, Manja. The orthodox church is my favorite. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. Every angle seemed to show something different. Non-sensical poetry is fine with me :-)

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  31. Great photos, Dan. I’m drawn to the one with the circular tower, but I also love the one where you commented about the design drawing the eyes upward.
    Your writing challenge sounds interesting. I’m sure the gallery will be amazing!

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    • Thanks Mae. Churches often include details to draw our vision up toward Heaven. This one certainly does. The writing challenge was a lot of fun last year. I am looking forward to it. It forces me out of my comfort zone.

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  33. The yellow brick Orthodox Church is a stunner, Dan. Thank you for such a lovely surprise.

    Maybe one day you will be able to climb on that circular staircase and have a look-see from the two windows :)

    This week we travel in time and to Jerusalem:
    https://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/the-door-of-humility-more-church-doors-easter-time-and-story/

    Blessed Easter to you and yours, Dan.
    I am enjoying a superbe book these days!!! wink-wink

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    • I do like the yellow brick. My father’s church (also orthodox) was yellow brick. We don’t see it used much around here, but it’s popular in that region. The castle like building is very cool. I’m glad you liked these. I hope to have a bit more information next week.

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  35. I have learned the proper names for so many different building ‘parts’ from you, Dan. Onion Domes–I was going to say I like those round tops, so thank you for the correct terminology. That yellow brick church is…wow. Our little church had a building fund several years ago, and they built a humongous church. I miss the simple church we used to have, but progress I guess.
    This made me laugh: “Please don’t send me to a blog post and say “second row, third from left” because I will mess that up.” These are my kind of directions! I had a friend directing me to some place once and she said, go north on such and such street and then turn east. I said, ‘You mean take a right by the old A&P?’ Yup. That was what she meant. 🙄 Directionally challenged, Lois. 😆

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    • I love directions like that, but on certain devices, WordPress puts the images in a single line.

      My father was famous for directions that included things from memory – “Go down Bower Hill Rd and turn left where old man Bedner’s barn used to be.” I still prefer directions like that, and I tend to give directions that way.

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      • haha! Your father’s directions are so funny. On one intersection in town, there used to be a Delchamps grocery store–like 20 years ago! Every so often when I’m talking to someone, I say ‘where the old Delchamps used to be.’ Oldtimers nod their head as if to say, “I gotcha. Go on…” New residents look at me like, “What??”

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  42. I like especially the turret door.
    I’m doing NaPoWriMo at kblog for April, so most likely won’t post any doors. But I’ll look for one to contribute to the writing challenge. (K)

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  46. I love that you featured doors from churches for Easter. I enjoyed them all, but I was especially drawn to the yellow brick Orthodox church building. It’s very unusual. I don’t think I’ve seen this style before. I hope you have a very nice weekend and if you celebrate, Happy Easter! :)

    I posted mine last night but forgot to add it here…so here’s my link to doors in Vienna. https://brendasrandomthoughts.wordpress.com/2023/04/07/thursday-doors-praterstrasse-vienna-austria/

    Liked by 1 person

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