What were these doors, really?
Swinging doors from saloons have several English names: batwing doors, café doors, or simply saloon doors. Their distinguishing features are:
- They reached from chest height to knee – not from floor to ceiling like normal doors. The typical height is about 90–120 cm (3–4 feet)
- They opened in both directions – thanks to special double-action hinges that automatically returned the wings to their original position
- They had no handles – they could simply be pushed with an arm, hip, or foot
- Each wing was about 38–40 cm wide and about 30 mm thick
- Glass was not used – it was expensive to transport to the frontier, and with frequent fights, it would break "several times a week"
What were they made of?
The material depended on the wealth of the saloon owner and the availability of wood in the region:
| Wood | Where Used | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pine | Most saloons on the frontier | Cheap, easy to work with, lightweight |
| Oak | More affluent establishments | Durable, heavier, resistant to impacts |
| Mahogany | Luxury saloons, mainly in cities | Exclusive, carved, with decorative tops |
The doors were made in three styles: panel (smooth surfaces with a frame), louvered (with slanted slats allowing airflow), and board (simple boards nailed together). Louvered doors provided the best ventilation while maintaining visual privacy.
Who invented them? The History of Bommer Hinges
No one knows who first came up with the idea of low swinging doors – they likely evolved gradually from the practical needs of the frontier. But we know exactly who created the mechanism that made them work.
Lorenz Bommer – an immigrant from Germany settled in New York – developed the first double-action spring hinge in 1861. It consisted of brass castings in four sections: inside the cylindrical barrels were hidden springs that automatically pulled the wings back to vertical after being pushed.
Key Patents
| Date | US Patent | What Changed |
|---|---|---|
| June 1, 1880 | No. 228,304 | Introduced mounting collars (gages) – protrusions on the hinge plate that showed the carpenter how deep to cut the mortise in the frame. Before this patent, each hinge had to be fitted "by eye" |
| August 31, 1886 | No. 348,312 | Replaced brass casting with stamped steel and wrought iron. The hinges became lighter, more durable, and did not crack in the cold. This was a breakthrough enabling mass production |
In 1876, Lorenz founded Bommer Brothers in Brooklyn. In 1919, it was renamed Bommer Spring Hinge Company. In 1953, Johann Frohlich moved the entire company overnight from Brooklyn to Landrum, South Carolina – where it operates today as Bommer Industries, Inc., employing over 50 people.
Why did saloons need such doors?
Although Hollywood presents them as decoration, batwing doors had several practical functions:
1. Ventilation
Saloons were filled with tobacco smoke, alcohol vapors, and the sweat of dozens of people. The open top and bottom of the doors allowed for airflow – in an era without air conditioning, this was crucial, especially in hot states like Arizona or New Mexico. Additionally, beer was served warm (13–18°C) – until the 1880s when Adolphus Busch introduced cooling and pasteurization. Warm beer in a hot, smoky room without ventilation? Unbearable.
2. Easy Entry and Exit
A cowboy with saddlebags, a mug in hand, or simply someone celebrating a bit too much could enter and exit without searching for a handle. The doors opened in both directions and closed by themselves. Designers today say that batwing doors are an "early UX design" – the first two-way, hands-free construction optimized for the flow of people. The same hinges are used today in restaurant kitchens.
3. A Screen – But Not Too Thick
Saloons were associated with drinking, gambling, and other entertainments that the temperance movement and churches strongly disapproved of. The doors at torso height screened the interior from passersby, but at the same time allowed the sound of music and chatter to pass through – free advertising for the establishment. Some owners deliberately positioned a band by the doors to carry the sound out onto the street.
4. Early Warning System
The bartender and regulars could see the head and hat of anyone entering above the doors. Shoes visible from below revealed if someone was standing on the threshold. In a town where fights and shootouts were not uncommon, these seconds of advantage could be significant.
But wait – how did they close the saloon at night?
As Ronald M. James describes in his book Virginia City: Secrets of a Western Past, in mining towns in Nevada, saloons were closed in the morning (mines operated on three shifts, so customers finished only in the early morning), and solid doors were essential for securing alcohol and cash.
In contrast, the most primitive saloons on the frontier had no doors at all – not even swinging ones. They were simple tents or makeshift shacks with open entrances. Bob Ford (the killer of Jesse James) ran a saloon in a tent in the town of Creede, Colorado.
Were they really everywhere?
No. Batwing doors were mainly popular in warm states – Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California – where ventilation was a priority. In cold states like Montana or Wyoming, swinging doors would lose all the heat from the establishment. An interesting fact: Livingston in Montana in 1883 had 33 saloons for 3000 residents (one saloon for every 90 people!), but most had normal, full-sized doors.
Even in warm regions, not every saloon had them. More elegant establishments, like the Crystal Palace in Tombstone, had massive double doors made of solid oak – information from a newspaper in 1901 describing the reopening after a fire. The iconic batwing doors at the Crystal Palace were a later addition, inspired by films.
Hollywood: How Film Changed History
Western films made swinging doors a mandatory element of every saloon. In reality, Hollywood deliberately modified the doors for camera purposes:
- The doors were made smaller than real ones – to make actors like John Wayne or Gary Cooper look more massive as they passed through
- Solid doors behind the swinging ones were removed – because they spoiled the dramatic effect. In films, the saloon looks like it never closes
- The doors made sound – creaking and slapping became a sound synonym for the hero's entrance
Iconic films featuring swinging doors: My Darling Clementine (1946, John Ford), For a Few Dollars More (1965, Sergio Leone), Blazing Saddles (1974, Mel Brooks – parody). It is from these films that most people "know" what a saloon looked like.
Famous Saloons and Their Doors
The history of the Wild West is full of legendary saloons, but their connection to swinging doors is often looser than films suggest:
- Nuttal & Mann's No. 10, Deadwood (1876) – this is where Wild Bill Hickok was shot during poker on August 2, 1876. He was sitting "unusually with his back to the door". Were these swinging doors? Unknown – sources do not specify
- Oriental Saloon, Tombstone (1880) – a favorite spot of Wyatt Earp. Here Doc Holliday got into a shootout with owner Milt Joyce. The building burned down in the great Tombstone fire of 1881.
- Crystal Palace, Tombstone – a newspaper from 1901 describes "massive double doors made of solid oak". Batwing doors are a later, Hollywood arrangement
- Red Onion Saloon, Skagway, Alaska (1898) – one of the few preserved original saloons. It still operates today as a bar and museum
A saloon is more than just a bar
In many frontier towns, the saloon served functions far beyond a drinking establishment. In Hays City, Kansas, the first church services were held in Tommy Drum's saloon. Judge Roy Bean operated a combined saloon and court in Langtry, Texas – verdicts were delivered between whiskey shots.
Swinging Doors Around the World
America did not invent the concept of partial doors. Similar solutions existed independently in various cultures:
| Culture | Name | How They Worked |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands (17th century) | Dutch door | Divided horizontally in half – the lower part closed separately to keep out animals. Dutch colonists brought them to New York |
| Ireland | Half door | Like the Dutch – the lower half protected against pigs and poultry, the upper half let in light. They may have also helped avoid window tax |
| France (Belle Époque) | Portes de café | Parisian cafés used similar half-swinging doors – hence the English name "café doors" |
| Japan (since Heian period) | Noren (暖簾) | Divided textile curtains hanging at the entrances of shops and restaurants – about ¾ the height of doors. Functionally the closest equivalent: partial visual barrier, free airflow, signal that the establishment is open. They originate from China (literally "warm curtain") |
How Swinging Doors Disappeared
The end of batwing doors came in three waves:
- The Temperance Movement (1880–1919) – social pressure forced saloons to "civilize". An open, inviting entrance became a burden
- Prohibition (1920–1933) – all saloons were closed overnight. Speakeasies (illegal bars) deliberately abandoned all saloon style – no more sidewalks, swinging doors, spittoons, or mustache towels. Speakeasies wanted to look like anything other than a saloon
- After the repeal of Prohibition (1933) – legal establishments were now called "cocktail lounges" or "taverns". The word "saloon" practically disappeared from the American lexicon
But the hinges did not disappear – they moved indoors. In the early 20th century, Bommer-hinged swinging doors appeared as butler doors separating kitchens from dining rooms in upper-class homes. Their descendants are today’s swinging doors in restaurant kitchens worldwide.
Where did the name "batwing" come from?
The name comes from the shape: the two wings of the door in the open position resemble spread bat wings. The term appears in American literature since the 1870s.
What about Poland?
Poles were present in the Wild West more than commonly believed. In 1854, a group of Silesian settlers founded Panna Maria in Texas – the oldest permanent Polish settlement in America. It is the heart of the "Polish Belt" in central Texas, a region where Polish surnames and parishes have survived to this day.
Polish immigrants also worked as miners in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Wyoming – in towns where saloons with swinging doors were one of the few places for entertainment after a hard day in the mines.
Can they still be seen anywhere?
Original 19th-century swinging doors from saloons are rare. Most Wild West museums use reproductions. However:
- Red Onion Saloon in Skagway, Alaska (1898) – still operates today as a bar and museum with preserved original interiors
- Comstock Saloon in San Francisco – reconstructed period interior
- Antiques at auctions – mahogany sets from Brunswick, Balke & Collender from the 1880s appear on the antique market for several thousand dollars
- Bommer Industries in Landrum, SC – the company founded in 1876 still produces spring hinges, though no longer in Brooklyn, but in South Carolina
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