A Cool Door Feature With a Clandestine Past

We’ve all seen them in the black and white movies of the Prohibition Era. The scene plays out like this: A nervous couple knocks on a heavy door off a quiet street or alley. A tough guy with a stubbly beard and a cigar clenched between his teeth opens a small door set within the door, peers out and growls, “What’s the password, sucker?” One of the people seeking entrance stutters out a reply, and the door swings open to an epic party complete with people doing a vigorous Charleston while enthusiastically downing bathtub gin.

It’s no surprise that those small portals came to be known as speakeasy grilles, because although they were undoubtably invented for reasons of privacy and protection, they were made famous for guarding the secrets of once-forbidden drinking establishments.

Harriett Barrett, co-owner of Southern Custom Doors & Hardware, says the grilled windows were born of necessity. “People wanted heavy doors for protection, but they also needed to see who was knocking,” she says. “Screened by a grille, they could open the little door and safely find out.”


“They are mostly put into plank doors,” says Bill Barrett, the other owner of the establishment. This vintage speakeasy grille in the entrance to a Las Vegas bungalow is an example.

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“I believe that they were first used in England in the 1800s,” says Barrett. Perhaps the three lions on this metal piece refer to the trio of lions found on the British royal coat of arms.


Barrett says that today the speakeasy grille is used mostly for decorative reasons. “I think they give an air of mystery,” he adds.


However, he notes that when there are no sidelight windows around a front door, speakeasy grilles — such as this metal door model set in a door crafted by F.M. Construction — can still be used to perform their original function.


“When we make speakeasy doors today, we often insert a pane of glass for weather protection,” Barrett says. He says that when using a speakeasy grille on an exterior door — as seen in this example, from Tali Hardonag Architect — it’s best to put it on a door well protected by a covered entry. “They can catch water, and it’s best not to have standing water on a door,” he says.


When a home is fronted by a courtyard or fenced yard, a speakeasy grille is sometimes set into the fence. It’s purpose is the same: to see who goes there. Barrett notes that on a fence designed to shed water like this one, it’s fine to have it open to the elements.


This speakeasy grille set in a fence built by Tuckahoe Creek Construction has metalwork that’s highly decorative and has no accompanying door.


Lee Schley of Schley Woodworking was inspired to include speakeasy grilles on doors he built after seeing them on Spanish-style houses in Arizona. “I’ve seen them on Mediterranean-style homes, Tudor-style houses and cottages,” he says. This example, from Madson Design, shows how the style can work on a Craftsman cottage. “I think that they add a dash of character to doors,” says Schley. “They can also give new homes a heritage look.”


Schley is fond of the architectural detail, functional or decorative, because it makes a statement. “They stand out in a cookie cutter world,” he says.

Give us a peek: Do you have a speakeasy grille at home? We’d love to see a photo.

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URL: A Cool Door Feature With a Clandestine Past http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-23162.html