Weird doorknob

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How does one open this door? How does that doorknob even work? Does it work? Does it lead to some sort of fanciful kingdom full of crazy doors with doorknobs in the middle???

The mysteries of the universe are too vast to ponder this early in the morning.

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13 Responses to “Weird doorknob”

  1. Tuffy says:

    My friend’s studio in New York had a door like this. I don’t know if this wors the same way but his door had two bars running vertically through the middle of the door that acted like a deadbolt at the top and bottom. Turning the knob would retract them. It’s supposedly much harder to kick in a door like this.

  2. raceycarr says:

    doorknobs like this have been all the rage in europe for the past 400 years.

  3. Troll says:

    Not weird – just Spanish.

  4. Grego says:

    Aintcha ever seen a hobbit hole before?

  5. Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable says:

    Yeah, doorknobs like that are pretty common in Europe. Generally they do not actually turn, they’re just handles, effectively. The door is latched/unlatched through the lock, not the knob.

  6. stiiv says:

    It leads to the world’s most excellent dive bar. Where the conversation is exactly as philosophical as you are drunk and the girls are nice but not so good looking it stresses you out.

  7. Salsa Shark says:

    10 Downing Street has one of these. Definitely an old school European thing.

  8. Little Eva Destruction says:

    See, that’s the thing: anyone who claims to be a Mission native — born, raised and lived here always — probably misses out on knowing stuff like this. Still feel special?

  9. slobdog says:

    Door knobs like this make more sense. To open/close the door from the knob you don’t have to move your hand as far. It’s like a high gear on your bike. So kudos to whoever had this door made this way.

  10. Neil says:

    Haven’t you ever watched vintage American movies? Knobs in the center of the door are nothing out of the ordinary. You weren’t paying attention.

  11. Gryphonisle says:

    Travel more. Weird is relative. Door handles in Europe alone could fill a cloud.

  12. Oyster Boy says:

    Nice knob. Our house has a knob like this. Not in the Mission. Not in the US. Not in Europe. Ours doesn’t have a giant bar, it just locks via the deadbolt. The knob is kinda superfluous since I use the key in the deadbolt to pull it shut or push it open. But sometimes I hold the knob. Our knob is fancier than that one, and probably older.