Often overlooked, doors are perhaps the most important feature of a building. They are the means by which we escape the often crowded and chaotic streets of the city. Every building has one (well, maybe except for the Raymond Street Jail which was accidentally constructed in 1836 sans front door), but some outfit this largely utilitarian feature with more panache than others. This collection highlights some the city's loveliest historic doorways, from the simple but classic columns of early 19th century Federal rowhouses to the gloriously geometric brickwork of Art Deco apartment houses, and everything in-between.

59 (right) and 60 (left) Washington Square South are the two four-story homes next to the wood-frame corner structure. When writer Willa Cather moved to New York in 1906 she lived in a studio in no. 60.

Doorway of 61 Washington Square South, March 1945. Referred to as the “House of Genius,” the rowhouse at 61 Washington Square South was so named for the creative and bohemian writers, musicians, and artists that lived in the boarding house there. Madame Blanchard, a Swiss immigrant, began leasing the home in 1886. She converted the single-family home into a rooming house that only rented to creative types. Considered a cultural landmark, residents included writers Stephen Crane, O. Henry, and opera singer Adelina Patti. The four-story red brick rowhouse, which had been constructed in the early to mid 19th century, was one of a row of similar buildings between West Broadway and Thompson Street, which all occupied a role as literary and artistic residences. In 1937 Madame Blanchard, the house matron died. In the 1940s, no. 61 and its neighbors were purchased by developer Anthony Campagna, who planned to demolish the row for a new apartment complex. In response to this plan, the neighbors and artists pushed back, establishing the Committee for the Washington Square Living Art Center. They hoped to retain the structures for a live and work art space. Despite their efforts, the residents were evicted and the buildings were razed in 1948. The developer did not construct the planned apartment house and instead sold the land to NYU, which built a student center. This failed preservation battle is considered the impetus for passionate preservation efforts by the neighborhood and the eventual designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District in 1969.

The New York Preservation Archive Project is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and celebrating the history of historic preservation in New York City. The Archive Project is devoted to celebrating neglected narratives of New York historic preservation using the archives that hold these stories. This collection includes a selection of historic sites that became flashpoints of the city's preservation movement(s). For more information, visit: www.nypap.org/phd-category/places/