Doors of Santa Fe, Volume 3

A book photographing the doors of a very eclectic city with its own architectural styles.

Doors reveal the spirit of those who live behind them. Sometimes, if one is lucky, doors reveal the character of a place with such specificity that one cannot mistake where they are located. Santa Fe, New Mexico, is such a place. Founded over 400 years ago, its inhabitants have forged a style from Spanish, pueblo and Anglo styles that result in a look that is different from anywhere else.

The colors reflect and contrast with those of the high desert blue sky, the subdued blues of the distant mountains, the reds of the ferrous soils, and the greens of the juniper trees. They contrast with the various adobes (five official colors in Santa Fe) in ways that make them stand out from their surroundings.

This book is about more than doors. It's about entering a unique lifestyle, a way of looking at the world, and of reflecting the world in which one lives. Doors are the first thing one sees when coming to one's home, or the home of a friend. Doors represent. They both reflect and contrast with the landscape.

A key question we had while preparing Doors of Santa Fe. Open, or closed? An open door represents welcome. A closed door is conservative, secure, unwelcoming. The Spanish custom was to have small entrances leading on to big courtyards.and the doors were always closed. Santa Fe has kept this custom. One comes upon a door and opens it to be surprised by the welcome within.

And what about the elements around the door? Some entrances are messy-mailboxes, electrical wires, newspapers, dirt and wear. A book about new doors, pristine and proper, would not hold the same interest. Doors are about living and aging. One seldom sees a perfectly square, newly-painted door in Santa Fe. The clutter and weathering add character.