Portals and Thresholds

As January comes to a close, I think about portals and thresholds. The name "January" is derived from the Roman god Janus, who presided over doors and beginnings.

When the year began, new "beginnings" was a theme. Out with the old, in with the new. But a portal is an opening, from one space to another, a transition. What are we leaving behind, what are we moving into? 

To help inspire our reflection, I've collated some images of portals. There are many wonderful examples in Victoria. Doorways that have grace, or colour, or express an invitation to move through them. Doorways that have humour or flair. Elegant doorways. Colourful ones. 

This arched doorway with its recess invites me in. Built in 1938, this building on Burdett Avenue has undergone extensive renovations. This is the office of a law firm; the doorway speaks to solidity and elegance.

This is another recessed doorway, also in downtown Victoria. Note the slight arch at the top, which softens horizontal lines, and is repeated in the window beside it.

Grounds of Government House. This doorway, with its unique arch, feels like a transition... I am invited to go through, to the other side.

Douglas Building, corner of Government Street and Superior Street. This is an incredible doorway, lined with a massive amount of marble. The art deco building was built 1949 to 1951, specifically to house government offices. With such an ornate doorway, the building architect has suggested that significant activity takes place within.

Another doorway that makes a statement -- Christ Church Cathedral. The five pointed rose window above the door is significant in Christian traditions.

From the massive doorways of institutional buildings, let's turn to more casual examples.

A gate is a portal, transitioning from roadway to yard. I liked the character of this one on Battery Street, with its beautiful delicately-wrought tree.

A simple gate to an intimate sitting area, Ashcroft House, Batter Street.

This intricate James Bay doorway makes a statement through its choice of colour.

Another intricate James Bay doorway, opening into an enclosed vestibule.

Many of the buildings in James Bay, being older, were built with long sets of steps to access them. Note the five mailboxes in the vestibule of this building.  Planners use the term "house-plex" to describe this multi-unit strucutre. This attractive entrance may help offset any intimidation created by the long set of steps.

Estevan Ave., Oak Bay. An inviting doorway angled across the building corner. I am not sure what material the hanging decorative balls are made of, though I'm sure it's a natural fibre. 

A uniquely decorated doorway on Broad Street. 

I opened this post with an image of an arched doorway of a building on Burdett Street. Here are a few more arched portals.

Detail of the Rithet building interior on Wharf Street. The circular form on the left is an old well, discovered when the building was renovated. Originallly this was a one storey building built in the 1860s; the well was the only water source for the "Commercial Row" area, until a pipe was built to pipe water from Elk Lake.

Another detail of the interior of the Rithet Building with the arched doorway.

Arched doorways have grace, and are a stable architectural form. This gigantic flag was placed over the main entrance of the Legislature shortly after the threat from south of the border that Canada become the 51st state.

I like this repeating set of archways. This is Helmcken Alley, connecting Bastion Square with  Langlely Street. Some of these buildings date back to the 1880s and 1890s. This represents a more visceral part of Victoria's past;; prisoners were transported through this narrow alley which connected the jail to the courthouse and gallows. Some say the area is haunted.

The choice of green paint to complement the red brick has made this doorway interesting, along with the bug images.

The arched entrance of the old Carnegie library, now the Indigenous Justice Centre on Yates Street. I posted about Carnegie and his impact in 2020. See  https://linesfromthecoast.blogspot.com/2020/07/an-american-philanthropist-in.html

The back of the BC Legislature. I enjoy the south-facing back of the Legislature more than the much-photographed front, featured earlier in this post. Besides these impressive doors, the back of the Legislature has the beautiful Centennial fountain, one of my favourites of the city. For a photo of that fountain, check out https://linesfromthecoast.blogspot.com/2022/02/oh-fountains.html

Doorway to "Bard and Banker" pub. The "bard" was Robert Service, who worked in the bank formerly located here for a year. And the reference to "banker" is the building's long-standing role as a bank (until 2008).

Before finishing this post I'll include a few doorways that impress in a more casual way.

Here's a portal that promises an entry into the world of imagination. Shenanigans Bookstore in the Cook Street Village.

The invitation of an open doorway festooned with flowers on either side. Who couldn't resist going into this store?

The iron arched entrance for this patio off an end unit of the Redstone, on Parry Street. Originally a garage built in 1918, the building has been converted to residences. Coupled with the two pillars, this gate makes a strong statement of transition from the sidewalk to the private patio space.

This entrance makes a statement, between the rainbow gate and the honour-system kiosk for selling produce from this urban farm in James Bay, to the prayer flags and the old-fashioned hollyhocks.

This entryway is intricate and detailed in its finishing.

And to close ... a portal to another world... One of the fairy gardens on Pilot Street.

To finish this quick look at some Victoria portals I'll quote from John O'Donohue's book "To Bless the Space Between Us". A threshold is not a simple boundary; it is a frontier that divides two different territories, rhythms and atmospheres. Some portals and thresholds have that kind of deep significance, and the kind of doors we build can pay homage to that significance.