Brass Finished Doorstop
Object Name
Brass Finished Doorstop Label
By preventing damage to doors and walls, this doorstop played a small but crucial role in the overall maintenance of the center and indirectly kept visitors from focusing on signs of possible structural degradation. In a broad sense, Mission 66 itself embraced similarly practical motives of redirection, as its planners intended to use modernist architectural aesthetics to indirectly orient guests’ attention to the parks themselves.
This particular wall-mounted doorstop probably never drew much attention to itself until the day it was removed from service. No specific records detail its individual history, but its unadorned style and form suggest that Taliesin probably chose this model because it aligned with Mission 66’s general design principles in addition to its strictly utilitarian function. The doorstop is extremely simple in aesthetics and lacks any intentionally distinguishable surface features aside from its brass color, which closely matches the hue of some of the brass ashtrays throughout the Visitor Center. The paucity of surface damage implies that the stop rarely saw unnecessary physical abuse, thus raising the question of why it was retired. The object gives a few clues through its warped mounting screw and missing rubber cap. Perhaps someone accidentally kicked the doorstop and bent the screw. Alternatively, a missing cap would reduce insulation between the stop and the door surface, increasing the likelihood for damage to the red oak veneer covering most of the visitor center's doors.
Collection Number
ROMO #22489Date of Requisition
1966Materials
Molded metal (brass finish); brass screwDimensions
4.25” L x 1.25” D | 10.75 cm x 3.2 cmManufacturer
Unknown manufacturer, likely installed by Kunz Construction
