Door Knocker from the Isaac Gillet House, Painesville, Ohio

This elaborate doorway originally came from a house designed and built by Jonathan Goldsmith, one of the most celebrated early architects of Northeastern Ohio. Goldsmith, who was born in Connecticut and trained in Massachusetts, came to the area around 1802 and brought with him a knowledge of the prevailing classical styles in architecture and decoration. This doorway formed the most decorative element of the front of the Isaac Gillet House and features elements of both Greek (boldly carved acanthus leaves and swags) and Roman (tall, thin columns and flat window tracery) architecture.