Here at the Library, at the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center, I am reflecting on revolution a lot lately. Not on the kind that makes television news, but the kind of revolution that objects undergo—in our case revolving doors. That is because our building is the proud possessor of two new revolving doors of Texas-sized dimensions.
If you’ve been to the Library or City Hall in the last couple of weeks there is no missing the 14-foot diameter revolving door at the front or its 12-foot companion at the back entrance to the building. Why are they there? Energy savings, plain and simple. Because these doors create a constant seal between the inside and the outside weather, the building will be a lot easier and more efficient to cool in the summer and heat in the winter. It turns out the traffic going in and out of the building, especially the Library, meant that the doors were open a lot more than originally anticipated.
And further good news: this big improvement was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. And they are super-safe. In case of an emergency situation, the revolving doors stop, open wide, and lock like a sliding door so everyone can walk through with no delays.
Being a library patron yourself—and therefore by definition a curious sort—by now I am certain you are wondering about the history of revolving doors. The earliest U.S. patent recorded for a revolving door was awarded to Mr. Theophilus Van Kannel, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1888. Considering that was 123 years ago, it’s still pretty recognizable in its current form.
Following American architectural trends, revolving doors have moved from ornate wooden structures to the glass and steel look that defines most modern office buildings. But there are some beauties still out there. The image below is used with the permission of the International Revolving Door Company of Evansville, Indiana, the eventual corporate descendant of Mr. Van Kannel’s company. For a look at more revolving door history, check out their site. They have some wonderful images from old catalogs as well as a nifty list of great buildings served by revolving doors. Very cool!
New York Public Library entrance circa 1936
Now back to revolutions and revolving. Like many words in use today, ‘revolve’ seems to be a word created from a root, “volve” that we don’t use anymore. If I “revolve,” that implies I “volve” at least more than once, right? Have you volved lately? No, revolve comes from “re-” meaning again plus the Latin “volvere” meaning to roll or turn. All makes sense now, right? Hey – wake up out there!
So next time you are here, as you are passing through those marvelous doors of Mr. Van Kannel, come in and give us your thoughts. Should they go faster, slower? What sort of silk plants should be placed in them? We’d like to know.
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Gary Werchan |
| Library Systems Coordinator |
| gwerchan@friscotexas.gov |
