Two Front Doors
- One is the "in" door and the other is "out"
- Families were huge and two exits were needed in case of a fire or urgent outhouse visit
- Extra ventilation – people didn't bathe and cooking over an open fire stinks
- One door was for the residence and the other was for an in-home occupation
- When the second generation came of age, the home was always shared
Why do some older houses have two front doors?
Two doors indicated that the house probably had more than one room, which was a real symbol of prosperity for the American pioneer class. This reason makes sense when you consider that many midcentury homes (and even today's houses) make a show of the number of garage doors attached to the dwelling.
Why does my old house have two front doors?
Old homes in the Georgian, Adams or Federal styles are built on rigid rules of symmetry. The front facade, especially, must be perfectly symmetrical and sometimes rather than have a single door in the center of the house, two mirror image front doors gave not only a more pleasing design, but added utility.
Why do Amish homes have two front doors?
They were originally Amish houses with two front doors. One was for in, and the other was for out. It had to do with evil spirits not being able to get in. So it comes down to religious purposes. Why do American houses have two doors?
Why do old houses have so many doors?
These involve using one door for daily, domestic use while reserving the other for formal functions and receiving guests. One door usually opens into the "keeping room," where cooking and other domestic functions occurred, and the other opens to a more formal parlor.
Why do old houses have double front doors?
Two doors indicated that the house probably had more than one room, which was a real symbol of prosperity for the American pioneer class. This reason makes sense when you consider that many midcentury homes (and even today's houses) make a show of the number of garage doors attached to the dwelling.
What does a house with two front doors mean?
Many second front doors on homes, particularly Bungalows, lead from the front porch to the master bedroom. This way, couples could open the windows and doors, turn on a couple fans and enjoy a cooling breeze. This design was kind of a poor mans sleeping porch.
Why do houses in New Orleans have 2 front doors?
The tour guide described the two sets of double doors immediately behind the staircase as the “brise” (French for breeze, as the Creole would have spoken French). These doors were not for use by people. They were only to let the breeze in.
Why do old English houses have double doors?
They were known in early New England as a double-hung door. The initial purpose of this door design was to keep animals out of farmhouses or to keep children inside while allowing light and air to filter through the open top; essentially combining a door with a fairly large window.
What are coffin doors on a house?
Many colonial homes in New England have a feature called the Coffin Door. This door had only one function: allow easy access to the front parlor for the coffin containing the remains of a recently deceased member of the family. The door is also known as the funeral door, the casket door, or the death door.
What is a death door?
Noun. death door (plural death doors) (US, architecture) a door to the outside from the parlor or hall to allow for the movement of the dead; from the time when the wealthy would host their wakes and funerals in their own homes.
Why do they call a house a shotgun house?
Rooms are directly connected without hallways. Shotgun houses may have derived their name from that room format, as it was sometimes said that a bullet shot from the front door would pass through the house without hitting anything and exit through the back door.
Why do old houses have doors between bedrooms?
Historically, each room tended to have a very particular use, so it was advantageous to keep them separate. There was a practical element to this, too: The ability to close doors between rooms also helped heat and cool the home—no sense wasting energy in rooms weren't being used.
Why does Downton Abbey have two doors?
Edit: OP is referring to the double bedroom doors, one door opens in and one opens out. The doors are lined with felt where they touch each other.
What is the purpose of a split door?
Dutch doors are essentially a single door that is split in the middle to allow the top half to open while the bottom half remains shut. They are secured together with a latch that allows homeowners to keep the door as one when needed.
Why do they call it a Dutch door?
In the Netherlands, the door is known as a Boerendeur (farmer's door), which is related to its widespread use at farms. The Dutch had settlements in New Jersey and New York. Since the early American colonies were mostly rural, the Dutch door spread quickly from these regions. Hence its name!
Theory #1 Symmetry
Old homes in the Georgian, Adams or Federal styles are built on rigid rules of symmetry. The front facade, especially, must be perfectly symmetrica...
Theory #2 Ventilation
Old houses didn’t have air conditioning and therefore have vastly more windows to help keep the structure cool on muggy summer nights. Many second...
Theory #3 Formal vs Everyday
I have the good fortune of having a neighbor who has lived in his house since he was born 90 years ago. And his house has two front doors. So, whil...
Theory #4 Rooms to Rent
Another theory that makes sense to me was that often these double front doors were to allow the owners to rent out a room if needed. Whether it was...
Why should you not have two doors?
If your neighbor has one door, why should you not have two? Two doors indicated that the house probably had more than one room, which was a real symbol of prosperity for the American pioneer class. This reason makes sense when you consider that many midcentury homes (and even today's houses) make a show of the number of garage doors attached to the dwelling.
Where are two door homes found?
Sometimes two-doored homes are found in university towns. Teachers and professors may have given private tutorials or music lessons from a room separate from their living spaces. Other professionals like preachers and doctors might have a front office space for clients to come and go.
What was the winter cold in the front door of the hall?
The winter cold came in the front door to the hallway, isolating heated rooms behind the closed doors of the living spaces. In warmer climates, however, a hallway was a waste of space for less affluent settlers. The center hallway was a luxury that many could not afford.
What is a dogtrot house?
Dogtrot Houses are modest American homes that were built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They feature a curious design—two front doors. By "two front doors" we don't mean double doors, like double Mission doors or double Shaker style doors, side-by-side. We also don't mean double doors as we see in the 19th-century Carpenter Gothic house ...
What door would a hired help use?
Hired help of a different social class would probably use the back door or the door à gauche —the door to the left. For households without servants, one door may have been kept to enter a more formal front parlor, ready to accept guests like the local pastor coming to call. The daily comings-and-goings, along with associated chores, would be separate from the entrance of esteemed visitors.
Why do we have a door in the front parlor?
It's long been believed that one door was reserved for the dead, lying in repose in the front parlor, with a door dedicated to that solemn function of the soul escaping the bonds of Earth—or the neighbors coming in to say their last farewells.
What did the Master of the House want?
The "Master of the House" may have wanted an entrance separate from the household, and also separate from in-laws or guests. Perhaps two front doors, each going to a separate room, was the beginning of the modern motel or the duplex apartment.
Where did twin door houses come from?
In my experience, the twin door house first appeared mostly in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas with some random examples scattered in the other middle colonies. These homes were built mainly during the time that the Georgian style was most popular.
What is the purpose of one door?
These involve using one door for daily, domestic use while reserving the other for formal functions and receiving guests. One door usually opens into the "keeping room," where cooking and other domestic functions occurred, and the other opens to a more formal parlor.
When did double doors start?
Some historians suggest the origin and use of double entry doors is exclusively Pennsylvania German and was only for the period of 1800 to 1870. While it is found in many PA German farmhouses during that period, my experience has shown the style was also used in other areas by other ethnic groups.
