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June 19, 2013 by tomdalzell

Painted Doors

images

One pun down.  Let’s get the obvious musical allusion out of our system right way and then get down to cases.  I see a red door and I want to paint it black.

Red door:

1312 Henry

1312 Henry

Black door:

924 Gilman

924 Gilman

Ready Steady Go – the weekend starts here!  (UK pop culture allusion).  Now, how about some more color for the sake of color?

1726 Parker

1726 Parker

1226 Channing

1226 Channing

1188 Oxford

1188 Oxford

 

1542 La Loma

1542 La Loma

1370 Talbot

1370 Talbot

1231 Curtis

1231 Curtis

1821 Delaware

1821 Delaware

1508 5th

1508 5th

1038 Keith

1038 Keith

1703 9th

1703 9th

"Quirky Berkeley"

Beyond color, now, to representational art on doors.  For those who aren’t quite sure, the OED defines representational as that which “seeks to reproduce aspects of the pyhysical world as they appear to the senses, esp. the sight.”

1647 6th

1647 6th

Kingman Coop 1730 La Loma

Kingman Coop
1730 La Loma

931 Hearst

931 Hearst

People's Park

People’s Park

931 Hearst

931 Hearst

Three shots from 2216 Blake:

2216 Blake 12216 Blake 2 2216 Blake 3

This wolf door was a work in progress when I walked by.  Mental note to self: go by and see how it is coming along:

2732 Derby

2732 Derby

This door at 6 Vallejo really pushes the limits of quirky.  Even under my most generous interpretation it might not make the grade.  But boy is it beautiful.  Each panel represents the craft of someone who helped build the house.  Lovingly restored by the current owners.  Incredible, so included:

ALl panels

L1150651 L1140651 L1150654 L1150653 L1150652

At this house, there is a carved panel above the door that doesn’t fit anywhere else so appears here with its friend the door:

L1140652

Back to quirky painted doors, but with modulation, which OED defines as “the action or process of passing from one key to another in the course of a piece of music.”  We are changing here from the key of door doors to the key of garage doors.  First, simple colors:

1331 Bonita

1331 Bonita

1440 Parker

1440 Parker

2208 Rose

2208 Rose

1370 Northside

1370 Northside

And now to garage door masterpieces:

37 Poplar.  Photo: Colleen Neff

37 Poplar. Photo: Colleen Neff

2375 Cedar

2375 Cedar

1421 Ada

1421 Ada

1333 San Pablo

1333 San Pablo

2415 Prospect

2415 Prospect

221 Stonewall

221 Stonewall

 

2914 Deakin

2914 Deakin

1613 Derby

1613 Derby

2620 California

2620 California

On Flckr I came across this photo of an early incarnation of the garage door at 2620 California:

Flckr 2620 CaliforniaPretty cool too, but not as trippy as the current one.

1549 Oregon

1549 Oregon

1549 Oregon

1549 Oregon

1549 Oregon

1549 Oregon

37 Poplar

37 Poplar

1748 Marin

1748 Marin

Another three-parter, on Virginia just below Euclid:

Garage Door 1696 Euclid

1696 Euclid

Garage Door 1696 Euclid L

Garage Door 1696 EuclidC.Garage Door 1696 Euclid.R

You have seen the old house falling down on the corner of Rose and Spruce.  The sleeping porch is completely collapsed onto the rest of the house.  You have probably not seen, or noticed, the faint traces of what once was a very colorful garage door with six tableaus.  Only three can be discerned now.  Ou sont les neiges d’antan?

2220 Rose 1

2220 Rose

2220 Rose 2 2220 Rose 3 2230 Rose 4

These doors make me happy.  My friend knows of at least one more to add.  Great doors!  He puts down his crop circles reading.

Crop Circles 1678

Crop Circles 1678

He looks at the photos.  And he says:

IMG_3677

 

 

Here you will find photos of the oddball, whimsical, eccentric, and the near-rhyme quirky material culture of Berkeley.
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