Parks, schools, brick streets, proximity to downtown — there are so many things that make Mt. Lebanon the special place it is. One of the more obvious assets is our residential architecture, much of it now designated as historic. Nearly every house in Mt. Lebanon is different from its neighbors, with its own distinct personality.

This uniqueness extends to the doorways of so many of our distinguished homes, which demonstrate fine detail and finesse in both the doors and their frames.

In his book, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses, Juhani Pallasmaa, scholar in residence at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin architecture workshop, describes door handles as “The handshake of the building.”

Next time you take a walk, pay attention to the entryways of the houses you pass. You’ll notice a wide variety of styles, all of them reflecting the essence of Mt. Lebanon character.

Here is just a small sampling of our town’s beautiful doorways.