Alamo Door

I had been to the Alamo previously but I had never stopped to admire the amazing stonework and detail around the doorway. The Alamo has changed form... more

by Joan Carroll

Title

Alamo Door

Artist

Joan Carroll

Medium

Photograph - Digital Art

Description

I had been to the Alamo previously but I had never stopped to admire the amazing stonework and detail around the doorway. The Alamo has changed form and use throughout its history. The carved niches and columns could not have been from a military building. What we call the Alamo today was originally build as the chapel of the Mission San Antonio de Valero. This door would have been the entrance to the chapel. It was planned to have twin bell towers on either side of this door but from what I can tell, this was never accomplished. The niches were probably for statues. The elaborate carvings may have served a similar purpose as at other missions, that of training mission residents as artisans and fostering a sense of community. The signature scalloped roof line of the present day Alamo was not part of the building until 1849. It was added by the U.S. Army when it leased the former chapel from the Roman Catholic Church to use for storing hay and grain. The complex evolved greatly over time. It has served as the chapel of a Spanish mission; quarters for troops; housing for Indians, Tejanos and squatters; hospital; army supply depot; Masonic lodge; jail; commercial store and warehouse; an intermittent abandoned ruin, a public park; tourist attraction; movie set; and historic site. To Texans, however, it will always be "The Alamo - Shrine of Texas Liberty.", Today it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and welcomes over 4 million visitors a year.

FEATURED PHOTO, Historical Buildings of the World-100 group, 9/2/15

FEATURED PHOTO, 500 Views -1 Image a Day group, 8/29/15

FEATURED PHOTO, Night in art group, 8/26/15

FEATURED PHOTO, Visions of the Night group, 8/25/15

FEATURED PHOTO, Beauty group, 7/27/15

Uploaded

July 27th, 2015