Shifting Doors
The Cross House was altered in 1929 when the second floor was converted into apartments. In 1950, it was further altered when it was converted into a hotel. There have been dozens and dozens of small alterations in the ensuing decades.
Yet, all this notwithstanding, the house is remarkably as it was when first built. A lot of the alterations have been reversed, and bits that were removed have been reinstated.
In my previous post, I detailed the mystery of the library door, a riddle yet unsolved.
And this got me to thinking.
Oh dear.
DOOR #1
In the Round Bedroom, a door has been plastered over. There is no such door on the original drawings but As Drawn and As Built are often not the same thing. So, it seems that when the house was under construction a door was installed in this location. It would have led into a walk-in closet shared by the adjacent master bedroom.
Shared closets were not uncommon for the era, and this would have allowed the granddaughter, Mary, who appeared to have occupied the Round Bedroom, to easily and discreetly visit her grandmother, Susan Cross, who may have occupied the Octagon Bedroom.
When the house was converted into apartments this door was removed, plastered over, and an armoire was installed on the wall containing a Murphy bed.
But…what happen to the door?
The 1929 apartment conversion shrank the main staircase so two kitchens could be installed. Each kitchen is shown to have a door opening into the stair landing Bottom left and right). The kitchen to the left was for the Round Bedroom. Again, note the two doors, bottom.
The door to the right was, indeed, installed, and was in situ when I demolish the 1929 wall in 2014.
The right door in 1999. The two kitchens were later converted into a motel room with bath.
The left door does not appear to have ever been installed. Rather…
..a window had been installed of, presumably, frosted textured glass. This was removed and plastered over during, presumably, the hotel conversion.
Again, the right door. Is this the “lost” closet door to the Round Bedroom? It is the right size, and the hinge is on the correct side. The door could not have been the lost bathroom door (detailed in a previous post) as their hinge locations do not mate. I have this door, and its frame and trim, stored away, and have wondered for six years now where it came from. I have plans for it, where it will be installed in its THIRD location in the house.
DOORS #2 through #5
This is the SE corner of the second floor. The servant ‘s stair tower is to the left. To the right is a servant’s bedroom, as it was entered via the landing to the servant’s stair. The bedroom had a closet, and a blanket closet adjacent accessed via the main hall.
DOOR #2
Door #2 was not installed in this location. It was over a bit…
…as seen here, with its header clearly visible. This door has, it seems, vanished.
DOOR #3
This closet, and the adjacent blanket closet, were later demolished, and the bedroom, thus enlarged, was converted into a kitchen. I do not know the date of this conversion. A new, smaller, closet was built in the same corner and housed a toilet.
The new smaller closet. Is this is the original door (#2) to the larger closet that was originally in this location? I will be removing this closet to install a large shower for myself. What will I do with the door?
DOOR #4
No door is indicated on the 1894 plans for a door in this location, with stairs leading to the first floor. I did not realize this until today, and which explains a six-year-old mystery…
…regarding the door which IS in this location. The door doesn’t match the second-floor doors, and nor do its knob and hinges. I have always wondered about this door but now it appears to have been added to the house. The door to the right is obviously not original either. Curiously, it matches the doors on the 1929 armories which were built for the house. The red door, obviously, needs to go. Will I have Dr. Doug make me a new one to match all the second-floor doors, and a second one for the left door?
DOOR #5
Door #5 was for the “blanket closet”. Even though the closet was demolished to enlarge the bedroom, the door remains in situ and is the entry to the corner room. The outside of the door has fancy hardware. The inside has the plain black servant hardware.
DOORS #6 and #7
Originally, a door (#6) from the main hall allowed access to a small room with a toilet. Another door (#7) allowed access to the bathroom. During the 1929 conversion, presumably, both doors were removed and the openings plastered over. These doors are now lost although it’s possible one of them is door #1! I plan to recreate opening #6 for a small unity closet, so will have Dr. Doug make a new door matching all the second-floor doors. He is currently making a door to the bathroom, which has vanished.
I am amazed by this sudden, and rather belated, clarity about aspects of the Cross House. It’s fun though!
5 Comments
Leave a Comment
Your email address will NEVER be made public or shared, and you may use a screen name if you wish.
Fascinating! I think a real fun board game could be devised along the lines of such architectural mysteries!
That’s why I think your thoughtful renovation is so important. If someone rushed through and just gutted everything they wouldn’t know or care about these details. That’s what makes you the King of Awesome
I always love these fun mystery posts. Always so much fun to read!
O.k., I had to read this three times, and by George, I think I got it!!! Finally. Very interesting though. I love that you want everything back in its place, but when all else fails…you got Dr. Doug!
It strikes me that the door to the shrunken closet in the servants bedroom and door #4 are of very similar construction. You already noted that door #4 doesn’t match the other doors. They’re both much plainer, and likely predate the house by at least 10-20 years or so by my best guess. They’re a dime at dozen at any salvage depot in the country. Pitch ‘em.
Is a door really necessary in location #4, at the top of the steps? I’ve very seldom encountered a door in such a location when touring homes of similar prominence and build date. If it is not notated in the plans, when do you suppose it was installed, and wouldn’t it be in keeping to just remove it entirely? I bet it makes that stair DARK.
I really enjoy these posts about all the alterations (and subsequent undoings) that have been made over the years. Yet, despite all the half baked changes, you still inherited a miraculously intact, (if neglected) pile.