Historic American Doors:
Drawings from the Historic American Buildings Survey

Introduction
Today many architects and builders are turning back to the traditions of classical architecture which can be found in the early styles of American houses. This book traces the development of those styles, from Colonial times through the Greek Revival, as depicted in the American door. Our source material has been the collection of measured drawings contained in the Historic American Buildings Survey.

At the time of publication, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) was a collection of over 41,000 sheets of measured drawings, 80,000 photographs, and 44,000 pages of written historical and architectural information for over 16,000 American buildings. Dwellings, churches, public buildings, shops, mills, bridges, and other building types representing various periods and styles from the 17th to the 20th century are documented. Begun in the 1930’s as a Federal Works Project, the Survey is continued today through a tripartite agreement of the Library of Congress, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the American Institute of Architects.

In 1974, all 34,000 measured drawings transferred to the Library of Congress between 1933 and 1974 were microfilmed on 63 reels of 35mm sliver halide safety base microfilm. The drawings were grouped and filed by state.

In 1995, Hendricks Woodworking obtained the microfilm reels pertaining to the Eastern Seaboards and the Midwestern States. We made Xerox copies of all the measured drawings of doors and their building elevations, and categorized them by door type.

In 1996 we began classifying the drawings by architectural style. This book represents one stage of our work in progress. We hope you discover here an inspiring record of the craftsmanship in our architectural heritage.

We have collected material from the following states:

Connecticut
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Jersey
New York
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Virginia
Vermont
Wisconsin

Contents
Dutch Doors
Georgian Doors
Adam Doors (also known as Federal)
Fanlights
Early Classical Revival Doors
Greek Revival Doors
Church Doors