Front Doors Christmas Break

This year in the summer I started this project Front Doors and in a short period of time we were able to attract a good number of regular readers of this blog. Also we have a number of great contributors that keep sending in the photos that is keeping this blog always in the shape it is in. But of course it is taking quite a bit of time from my side and with quite a number of developments here I am forced to take some time off from this project. This means that the Front Doors will be closed for a Christmas break and won't be updated till the end of the year.I have received quite a number of photos and they will be published in 2006, but for now it is going to be a little quiet here. Please keep sending in photos because we will continue. In fact everyone that will be sending in photos during this closure I will reply with an email informing when the website has started publishing again. Possibly there will be some renovations to the design as well.Thanks for all your contributions! Front Doors wishes you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year filled with photos of the most beautiful doors on the planet.

Posted on: 16 December 2005 | 8:29 am

Front Door of the month: November

It's today that I am announcing you the fourth Front Door of the Month. And this month we got the most convincing winner. It has never been such a decisive eletion. Almost all the votes that came in were for the winner. So herby I anounce the deserved winner of the title Front Door of the month November 2005: the door sent in by Michelle Mitchell of the door of the Royal Exchange in London.Michelle Mitchell has sent in several photos before and her entry this month was of a quality that made her the unmistakable winner. The photo was first placed on this Blog on November 24th. Congratulations Michelle and thank you for the great contribution to this blog! I hope you keep sending in those great photos.Please join me in congratulating Michelle Mitchell with her winning photo!!

Posted on: 11 December 2005 | 7:33 am

Naples, NY

This is the front entrance to the Widmer Wine Cellars in Naples, NY. A century-old winery, Widmer is now part of the largest wine conglomerate in the United States (Constellation Wines), but more interesting is its history. John Jacob Widmer, founder of Widmer's Wine Cellars, came to Naples from Switzerland in 1882 and planted his first vines in Naples Valley in Spring 1883. During the years of Prohibition, Widmer's Wine Cellars produced unfermented grape juice, fruit and wine jellies, syrups and kindred non-alcoholic products. A limited amount of wine was produced too, for sacramental and medicinal use. Their grape juice barrels were sold with instructions of how "not" to make wine with it. Widmer wines maintain an acknowledged position in the American wine industry. Photo by Cheryl Harris.

Posted on: 9 December 2005 | 11:12 am

Bisbee, AZ

This entrance was sent in by Iris Nelson. It's an entrance in the picturesque city of Bisbee, AZ. Bisbee was founded in 1880 and named after Judge DeWitt Bisbee, a financial backer of the Copper Queen Mine. This mining camp proved to be one of the richest mineral sites in the world, producing nearly three million ounces of gold and more than eight billion pounds of copper, not to mention the silver, lead and zinc that came from these rich Mule Mountains. By the early 1900s, the Bisbee community was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco. When mining became unprofitable in the 70s the city slowly evolved into an attractive artist colony and retirement community emphasizing monthly special events and tourism.

Posted on: 5 December 2005 | 11:14 pm

Final Three of November

As with this blog's tradition, we eliminate three photos of the first 6 nominees to come up with the final three of the month. And this month the final three are: 1. Alenquer, Portugal ; 2. Chicago, IL; 3. London, England.Keep voting via comments or email until the 10th of this month when we will anounce the Front Door of the Month. And ofcourse keep sending those photos. Your photo might be the next front door of the month!

Posted on: 4 December 2005 | 2:20 pm

Front Door of the Month Nominees

On this first of the month we will according to tradition with this blog announce the nominees for the Front Door of the Month. Last month we had to skip the tradition, so this month all entries for October were taken into consideration aswell for the Front Door of the Month November. Well here the are!The 6 nominees in alphabetic order are: 1. Alenquer, Portugal ; 2. Buenos Aires, Argentina ; 3. Chicago, IL; 4. London, England ; 5. Monseraz, Portugal ; 6. Selånger, Sweden.Your votes will determine who will enter the winner circle with the Front Door of the Month, so please give me your comments here or by email.

Posted on: 1 December 2005 | 3:23 am

Berlin, Germany

In the German capital Berlin you can find this entrance to the Berliner Dom, a building that was built in 1905. The German Emperor Wilhelm II ordered the built of this Cathedral, designed by Julius Raschdorff. 114 m long, 73 m wide and 116 m tall, it was much larger than any of the previous buildings on this site and was considered a Protestant counterweight to the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. During the Second World War, the building was bombed by the Allies and severely damaged. A temporary roof was installed to protect what remained of the interior and in 1975 reconstruction started. The restoration of the interior was begun in 1984 and in 1993 the church reopened. During reconstruction, the original design was modified into a more simple form and less tall. Photo by Iris Nelson.

Posted on: 30 November 2005 | 3:28 am

Truro, MA

This photo that was taken in Truro, Massachusetts, was sent in by Cynthia Stead. Truro is situated at Cape Cod and it has missed its chance at immortality when the little band of Pilgrims from the Mayflower decided not to stay in the rolling hills and moors that might have reminded some of them of home and to follow Captain Myles Standish to the area across the bay that became Plimouth. Although the Pilgrims didn't stay in Truro after a brief exploration that convinced many that they should, it was a find of seed corn, ten bushels, stored by the Pamet Indians on what is now known as Corn Hill, that helped to sustain them the following year. Settlers did not come back until two decades later, when the land now known as Pamet was part of a large tract granted to Thomas Prence and other proprietors of Nauset. In 1689 the Pamet Proprietors negotiated purchases of land from the Pamet Indians. In 1705 Pamet was established changed its name to Dangerfield. In 1709 Dangerfield separated from Eastham, incorporated as a town and changed its name to Truro.

Posted on: 29 November 2005 | 1:23 am

Alenquer, Portugal

This front door to the St Francisco Convent in Alenquer was photographed by Francisco Ourique. The convent was founded in 1222 by D.Sancha daughter of D.Sancho I of Portugal. The city of Alenquer was conquered by the moors in the XII century and had its first charter in the following century. The region around the town is famous for its wines, esp. the whites. It has two different delimitations but both confined to the municipality that gives name to it. The vineyards form great continuous spots, following the relief and developing along hillsides and valleys.

Posted on: 25 November 2005 | 3:05 am

London, England

This door leads you to the Royal Exchange in London. The Royal Exchange was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham to act as a centre of commerce for the city. The design was inspired by a bourse Gresham had seen in Antwerp. The Royal Exchange was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth I who awarded the building its Royal title, on January 23, 1571. The Great Fire of London destroyed the original building in 1566 and the rebuilt echange got destroyed in a fire in 1838. The current structure was designed by Sir William Tite, and was opened by Queen Victoria on October 28, 1844, though trading did not commence until January 1, 1845. The Royal Exchange ceased to act as a centre of commerce in 1939, and is now a luxurious shopping centre. Photo by Micelle Mitchell.

Posted on: 24 November 2005 | 2:05 am

Bloomfield, CT

This door photographed by Bill Owens is the entrance to the Capt. Oliver Filley House in Bloomfield Connecticut a.k.a. Wintonbury. The Captain Oliver Filley House, one of the more significant historic sites remaining in Bloomfield, was built in 1834, one year before the incorporation of the town. Captain Filley had the house, an unusual example of an all-stone Greek Revival with brownstone corbeling and lintels, built for his son Jay Filley. It is being restored through a partnership between the Wintonbury Historical Society and the Town of Bloomfield, and will be a museum, cultural center, research library, and office for the Wintonbury Historical Society.

Posted on: 21 November 2005 | 2:17 am

London, England

From Micelle Mitchell comes this photo. It's taken around the underground station "Bank" in central London. This area of London is the home of the Royal Exchange that was founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1565. The Elizabethan merchant and courtier established the Exchange as a centre for commerce. At the centre of the original building was a vast courtyard where merchants and tradesmen did business. Queen Elizabeth I bestowed its Royal title and to this day the Royal Exchange is one of the sites from which new monarchs are announced.

Posted on: 19 November 2005 | 11:36 am

New Haven, CT

This is one of the many entrances to the Yale University. Yale University was founded in 1701 as the Collegiate School in the home of Abraham Pierson, its first rector, in Killingworth, Connecticut. In 1716 the school moved to New Haven and, with the generous gift by Elihu Yale of nine bales of goods, 417 books, and a portrait and arms of King George I, was renamed Yale College in 1718. The photo was taken and sent in by Bill Owens.

Posted on: 18 November 2005 | 2:23 am

UlaanBaatar, Mongolia

This is the entrance of the Golomt Bank in UlaanBaatar in Mongolia. Often called UB, Mongolia's sleepy capital has the look and feel of a neglected 1950s European city. The old Soviet cars are slowly being replaced by newer Japanese versions, but cows still wander the roads, and the traditionally dressed mingle on the streets with Mongolia's nouveaux riche. Built along the Tuul river and surrounded by lovely mountains, Ulaan Baatar is dominated by communist style highrise apartment buildings, but many locals also live in the extended outer suburbs. The centre of the city is Sükhbaatar Square. Foto by Nick Tay.

Posted on: 17 November 2005 | 1:27 am

Monsaraz, Portugal

The town that has been represented pretty much every month on this blog is Monsaraz in Portugal. As winner of the first Front Door of the month António Caeiro has been providing all of the pictures from that beautiful place. This one is again a beautiful entry. So once again Thanks António, without your contributions this blog would not have been the same.

Posted on: 15 November 2005 | 6:04 am

North Bennington, VT

This is the front door but, as you can see in the photo by Bill Owens, not the entrance to the Park-McCullough House in North Bennington, VT. The Park-McCullough House is one of the finest, most significant, and best Preserved Victorian Mansions in New England. Built in 1864-65 by attorney and entrepreneur Trenor Park (1823-1882), the house was designed by Henry Dudley, a prolific New York architect of the popular firm of Diaper and Dudley. It is an important example of a country house in the Second Empire Style and incorporates architectural features of the Romantic Revival style that were popular at the time. The house retains to a great extent the integrity and impact of its original design.

Posted on: 14 November 2005 | 12:18 am

Chicago, IL

This door sent in by Sherry aka YellowRose is the Front Door of the Tribune Tower on Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill. The design was the result of an international competition for "the most beautiful office building in the world," held in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune newspaper. The various competition entries proved extremely influential for the development of skyscraper architecture in the 1920s. The winning entry, with a crowning tower with flying buttresses, is derived from the design of the French cathedral of Rouen and gives the building its striking silhouette. The base of the building is studded with over 120 stones from famed sites and structures in all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries. They range from the Parthenon (Greece) and Taj Mahal (India) to Bunker Hill (Massachusetts) and Mark Twain's "Injun Joe Cave" (Missouri).

Posted on: 12 November 2005 | 1:39 am

Front Door of the month: October

Due to relocation and the unavailability of computers, internet and other matters, we have had only a low number of posts and also received a low number of sent in photos in October. Therefor we have decided to not award the Front Door of the month in October, but to combine October and November. Since access to the internet has been restored, I will try to start posting on a regular basis again. Thank you all for your continuing support, comments and photos you have sent to this Blog. We could not do it without you.

Posted on: 12 November 2005 | 1:08 am

Los Altos, CA

On Main Street in Los Altos, you can find this florist that is ready for Halloween. If you think you have seen better decorated front doors, then please send photos of them to frontdoors@gmail.com and tell me where you took that picture. We are running low on stock, so please keep sending those shots of doors!!And... Happy Halloween!! Boooooo!!

Posted on: 28 October 2005 | 6:05 am

Selånger, Sweden

This is the main entrance to the church of Selånger. Selånger has been a central part of Medelpad for a long time. It's earliest history is over a 1000 years old. One of the reasons it has played a big role was because of the St. Olofs harbour located here that was the only harbour in the central province Medelpad until the 16th century. The parish was dominated by the agricultural sector. There were no industries in the parish, except for a number of brickworks.

Posted on: 27 October 2005 | 4:14 am

Buenos Aires, Argentina

This door can be found in Buenos Aires, the most European of all Latin American cities. With its wide boulevards, leafy parks, grand buildings and varied culture and nightlife, the city is reminiscent of Paris or Barcelona. The Porteños (‘people of the port’), as the residents of Buenos Aires are called, seem more European too – but this is hardly surprising considering that most are descended from European, predominately Italian, immigrants who settled here in the 19th century. With them came a culture and a cuisine that still flavours the city and can be enjoyed in countless art galleries, theatres and museums, as well as fine restaurants. Photo by Raphael Cruz.

Posted on: 20 October 2005 | 5:44 am

Schiphol, the Netherlands

Schiphol is the official name of the Amsterdam Airport and the town where it is located. And at the departure hall of the airport you can find this entrance to the Grand Cafe "Het Paleis" (The Palace). Schiphol started in 1916 as a small military airport of only 40 acres. On May 17th 1920 it had it's first regular passenger flight to London. In the early days the below sea level airport was often not dry enough so in often airplanes had to be dragged out of the mud. Only after the airport was bought by the city of Amsterdam in 1926 the airport was improved significantly. Today Schiphol is the 4th largest European airport with more than 40 million passengers per year.

Posted on: 18 October 2005 | 5:26 am

Front Door of the month: September

Today I am announcing you the third front door of the Month in the Front Doors' history. We got this month more votes than ever. I wonder if that is related to a marketing campaign one of the contestants launched on his own blog. Anyway marketing or not, the convincing and deserved winner of the title Front Door of the month September 2005 is the door of the gatehouse of the Saville Dam in Barkhamsted, CT sent in by Bill Owens.Bill Owens has been nominated before, but this month he was unbeatable. His photo was first placed on this Blog on September 13th. Congratulations Bill, you are a deserved winner! I hope you keep sending in those great photos.Please join me in congratulating Bill Ownes with his winning photo!!This photo will be on display a few days while the editor is relocating internationally. Please keep sending in photos, we are low on stock so we can use your contribution. And who knows, your photo might be the next front door of the month.

Posted on: 11 October 2005 | 9:29 pm

Skopje, Macedonia

This is the impressive entrance to the Main Orthodox Chuch St. Clement of Ohrid in Skopje, Macedonia. The church was only built 15 years ago. Skopje has a very long history where it has had many highlights but has had some major tragic events too. After the Romans had conquered it in 148 BC it became a christian city, it flourished and had it's own bishop. But in the year 518 AD a big eartquake completely destroyed the city. It took a long time before the city became notable again at the end of the first millenium as part of the Macedonian Empire. But Skopje just as Macedonia constantly was ruled by new masters: Normans, Serbs, Bulgarians, Byzantines, and in 1392 it fell in Turkish hands and stayed that way until the Balkan wars made an end to that in 1912. Then after the Versailles Peace treaty it became part of Yugoslavia, and is only recently the capital of the country Macedonia. Photo by Raphael Cruz.

Posted on: 9 October 2005 | 9:38 pm

San Jose, CA

Only the littlest ones can find this door, because this door is the stable door that you can find at the Opera House in the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose. This park features a variety of children's rides and amusements as part of admission including carousels, various kiddie rides, and the puppet castle theatre. To add to the fun, there are themed play areas and picnic groves to entertain the whole family. The zoo exhibits over 50 species of domestic, exotic, and endangered animals from all over the world. And there couldn't be a better model to show this door than my own little girl.

Posted on: 8 October 2005 | 10:41 pm