Doors as Art

Holy Name Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, one of the largest Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States. It is also the parish church of the Archbishop of Chicago.

Holy Name Cathedral replaced the Cathedral of Saint Mary and the Church of the Holy Name, both destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in October 1871. The cathedral was finally dedicated on November 21, 1875. A cornerstone inscription still bears marks from the murder of North Side Gang member Hymie Weiss, who was killed across the street on October 11, 1926.

The first feature that greets worshipers are massive bronze doors designed by Albert J. Friscia that weigh 1200 pounds each. The doors introduce the overall “Tree of Life” theme with intricate details that serve to make the doors look like overwhelming planks of wood. The doors possess a hydraulic system that allows them to be opened with the push of a finger. Beyond the doors is a vestibule encased in glass.

Albert J. Friscia (July 22, 1911 – September 2, 1989), was an Italian American sculptor. His important works, include the massive bronze doors of Holy Name Cathedral, and the altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.
[quoted from Wikipedia]

Lock Art

I guess this lock would prevent using your pencil to write the wrong thing...

Is it a trend if three people, unbeknownst to one another, give or send me images of “locks used as art” in the same week?

The Pencil Art is abstract. I wonder… does this symbolize censorship? And, what would happen if all the pencils were locked up? Does anyone still use pencils? Or are they as old fashioned as the skeleton key used to put a lock on the lead? Ah, the power of art to unlock one’s Deepest Thoughts.

Tree shapes decorated with locks of many colors

The Lock Trees are not abstract. They are real sculptures, photographed in Korea. Countless “locks of love” hang on the framework in central Seoul. Young couples hang their locks of love before throwing the key away in the hope for eternal love.

“Lock sales have increased sharply,’’ said Lee Jung-hoon, according to an internet article about the lock sculptures.

“We’ve never seen such an event elsewhere. I think it is a beautiful idea for lovers,’’ said Michelle and Michael, a U.S. couple who received a lock as their seventh wedding anniversary present from a Korean friend.

Most of the locks are decorated with drawings and stickers while some cannot even be called locks. Some used chain locks for bikes shaped as hearts, as well as pink and red heart-shaped ribbons on their locks. Since the event includes throwing away keys to prevent locks from being opened, there is a danger that other people under the terrace might be hit. The tower operator put up a sign instructing lovers not to throw keys away and set up a “key bin” for them. Some couples also hang their locks in inappropriate places, such as on road barricades.

In some cases, the locks seem to have no binding power for couples. Lee said he saw a man who had come two months earlier return with a different woman. “I was pretty shocked since I did the same with my girlfriend,’’ he said. “Sadly, this episode proves that some loves cannot be protected even by hanging strong, hard metal locks.”

However, no matter how much locks save true love, N Seoul Tower’s Locks of Love will likely remain a memorable event for many couples who are willing to share and express their love, he said.

Tiffany Key Pendant Necklaces

Locks and keys are also very popular in jewelry right now. Diamond encrusted keys are featured in Tiffany’s jewelry catalogs. Gold and silver keys hang around models’ long necks. Bracelets with little heart-shaped lock charms suggest that someone has the key to your heart.

Even key rings make fashion statements. Another blog follower gave me a copy of a Martha Stewart “Living” magazine that featured key rings, artfully displayed, with the headline, “The Key Ring has Evolved into an Emblem of Personal Style.”

The key ring article gives a brief history of keys, including an anecdote about a seventh-century grave in Cambridgeshire, where a woman was found buried with keys beside her thigh as if they were hanging from her belt. And it notes a 15th century illustration in which the keys of a Chaucer pilgrim are hanging by a red ribbon, next to his sword. Fashion designers create key holders from gold, silver and leather…but nothing has held keys better than a plain, utilitarian ring…”the most ancient as well as the most modern contrivance for the purpose.”

A Locksmith Challenge…

Harry Houdini 1899

The Challenge:
Name a Famous Locksmith Who is Not More Famous for Something Else

While I wait for your nominations, I will point out that King Louis XVI of France had outstanding skills as a locksmith. However, his legacy as the last king of France, (and the only one to have been executed), outweighs his reputation for having a passion for locks.

Linus Yale, Jr., is more famous for his patents of pin tumbler and bank locks, than he is for his locksmith skills.

Harry Houdini, born in 1874, was a Hungarian-American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer. He was an expert lock picker who captivated audiences with his skills.

Houdini became widely known as “The Handcuff King.” He would free himself from jails, handcuffs, chains, ropes, and straitjackets, often while hanging from a rope in plain sight of street audiences. Because of imitators and a dwindling audience, Houdini put his “handcuff act” behind him and began escaping from a locked, water-filled milk can. The possibility of failure and death thrilled his audiences. Houdini also expanded his challenge escape act — in which he invited the public to devise contraptions to hold him — to include nailed packing crates (sometimes lowered into the water), riveted boilers, wet-sheets, mailbags, and even the belly of a Whale that washed ashore in Boston. Brewers challenged Houdini to escape from his milk can after they filled it with beer. Many of these challenges were prearranged with local merchants in what is certainly one of the first uses of mass tie-in marketing. Rather than promote the idea that he was assisted by spirits, as others did, Houdini’s advertisements showed him making his escapes via dematerializing, although Houdini himself never claimed to have supernatural powers.

In 1912, Houdini introduced perhaps his most famous act, the Chinese Water Torture Cell, in which he was suspended upside-down in a locked glass-and-steel cabinet full to overflowing with water. The act required that Houdini hold his breath for more than three minutes. Houdini performed the escape for the rest of his career. Despite two Hollywood movies depicting Houdini dying in the Torture Cell, the escape had nothing to do with his death.

On October 31, 1926, Harry Houdini died of peritonitis, secondary to a ruptured appendix, at the age of 52. At least he died on Halloween! Still not good enough for Hollywood, I guess.

Yes, Houdini was a famous lock picker. But famous locksmith? I’m afraid not.

So far, there are no nominees.

(Much of the information for this blog came from Wikipedia.)

Anderson Lock is committed to LEED standards

Anderson Lock is committed to conserving our natural resources.

Ways we reduce our impact on the environment include: recycling, using lower energy light bulbs and adding reduced energy vehicles to our service fleet.

Anderson Lock is also committed to reducing the amount of energy your facility consumes by helping you find doors and security door hardware that meets LEED standards.
• LEED is a third party, Green Building Council, certification program and a benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
• LEED certified projects are at the leading edge of building design and construction, and are raising the bar for the entire industry.
• The “green building” process significantly reduces the total cost of ownership through energy savings, while using natural resources responsibly.

Schools and hospitals, in particular, have realized the long-term benefits of going green. And both customer groups rely on Anderson Lock to supply doors and hardware that meet their eco-friendly specifications.

20th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act

Anderson Lock's ADA Catalog

On this date, July 26, 1990, President George Bush H. W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act which is “An Act to establish a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability.”

Regulations supporting the law were issued in July, 1991, and Anderson Lock Company published a catalog which featured door hardware that met accessibility guidelines, and also included a summary of, and excerpts from, the legislation. The quote on the cover reads, “If your business is open to the public, then it must be accessible to people with disabilities…”

Doorknobs require more dexterity to operate than levers, and accessible doors “should have hardware that is shaped so that it is easy to grasp with one hand and does not require tight grasping or pinching or twisting of the wrist to operate. Lever-operated mechanisms, push type mechanisms and U-shaped handles are the acceptable designs of the ADAAG.” As a result, Anderson Lock replaced thousands of knoblocks with levers at area schools and other public facilities in the nineties.

Door closers can also create a potential architectural barrier to a person with disabilities. It is important that the pressure setting on the closer is not beyond that which has been established as the maximum that a disabled person can operate. Anderson Lock estimators and sales representatives are trained to know how many pounds of pressure exterior doors, interior doors and fire doors are allowed to have to meet ADA guidelines.

Thresholds were also addressed in by the ADA, with the rule stating that “no door threshold shall be over 1/2″ high in its profile (with specific exceptions.) If a threshold is over 1/4″ high, a beveled profile must be provided for wheelchairs to bump over and to lessen the risk of tripping.”

Existing facilities, defined as public accommodations, were required to take steps to remove “architectural and communications barriers” by January, 1992. Priority was given to measures that enabled individuals with disabilities to “get in the front door” followed by measures providing access to goods and services and providing access to restroom facilities. Anderson Lock has always been known as more than a source for door hardware. We are a resource for expert technical advice. Our sales representatives are trained to know building codes, and other applicable regulations, like the Americans with Disabilities Act, celebrating its 20th anniversary today.

…some people are obsessed with doorknobs!

A man who claims he is obsessed with doorknobs was sentenced to three years in prison for a burglary spree in which dozens of doorknobs were taken from construction sites, along with tools and other materials. The thief told police he took the other items to disguise his addiction, “so that it would look like a typical burglary rather than someone just stealing doorknobs.” In addition to the prison term, the pilferer was ordered to pay restitution. The crimes occurred in December, 2004, in Wisconsin, and were reported by the Associated Press.

Cover of book about antique doorknobs

Gene Anderson, who founded Anderson Lock fifty years ago, has a small collection of books about locks. One is a paperback, titled “The Antique Doorknob.”  It was written in 1976 by Maud Eastwood, who collected and researched doorknobs. Maud introduces her book with a sentimental poem, which doesn’t qualify for my collection of excerpts of “Locks in Literature” but it does set a properly nostalgic tone for the antique doorknobs.

The Knob on the Door
Only one house was home to me
Only one house was home
The door of the house spoke “Welcome”
The knob on the door said “Home.”

Only one love was alive to me
Only one love was alive
Although I have had many a love
Only your love was alive.

Only one memory dear to me
Only one memory dear
When I turned the knob and found you home
This is my memory, Dear!
–Anonymous

Stylish Baldwin Enters Keyless Lock Market

New Keyless Deadbolt

Keyless Entry Locks

Baldwin Hardware just introduced keyless entry locks that provide security, convenience, and Baldwin’s superior quality and styling. The keyless locks are easy to install in standard door prep, and have two customizable access codes, ensuring no lost keys, yet requiring no additional keys for visitors or service personnel.

Two styles are offered, the contemporary Soho in four finishes, and traditional Boulder with popular dark finishes as well as polished brass. The deadbolts are ideal for garage or side entry doors, or can be installed with a handleset for a keyless entry front door with access control.

Keyless locks designed for commercial applications have become more streamlined in recent years, and some other decorator hardware manufacturers have already added keyless designs, but Baldwin’s new designs are the first really attractive keyless entry locks, in this blogger’s opinion.

There is an initial six week lead time for ordering, but that will be reduced to three weeks in the near future.

Anderson Lock’s showroom displays a wide selection of traditional decorator hardware, in many popular designs and finishes. Stop in and browse, put your hand on the handles, and think about what a new shiny brass or dark bronze entry lock could do for your front door!

Let me give you a hand with this door…

Welcome Home

http://therepublicofless.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/come-in/
This door handle photo is found on the blog “the republic of less”–
check it out for more fascinating door handle designs!

Lock Humor

“I have six locks on my door all in a row.
When I go out, I lock every other one.
I figure no matter how long somebody
stands there picking the locks,
they are always locking three.”
–Elayne Boosler

Contributed to the Anderson Lock Blog by Jeanne Petrie

You can’t do business from an empty wagon…

You can't do business from an empty wagon.

Lock technician Jeanne Petrie found this mimeographed (pre-Xerox) “cartoon” in a box of old lock parts in a dark corner of a storage closet. The philosophy of “keeping the wagon well-stocked” fit Anderson Lock fifty years ago, and it still fits today.

Anderson Lock maintains a huge inventory of security door hardware at our main location in Des Plaines, and a huge inventory of doors and frames at our door division in Schaumburg.

Locks break, and break-ins happen. When they do, customers don’t want to wait to have their locks and doors repaired or replaced! Anderson Lock’s well-stocked shelves assure customers that heavy-duty commercial hardware is ready for installation by our experienced lock technicians.