The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest is known for its gorgeous scenery - geological layers in otherworldly colors are punctuated by ancient fossilized forests. While others were snapping pictures of the scenery and petroglyphs, I was - of course- taking pictures of the door hardware.
This is a picture of a "convenience station" at one viewpoint in the park. It is a rebuilt version of an original way station from the turn of the century (we guessed that "convenience station" was an old-timey term for restroom). Now the building is an interpretive center and a spot to get out of the unpredictable desert weather - the wind was gusting up to 60 mph the day we visited.
The building is made of local materials, and features a lot of plain rock and timber. But what jumped out to me, as a hardware nerd, was the lockset. It is a basic, modern lever set - one that meets ADA codes and has the appropriate security features. It is, of course, not historically accurate to the building, but for good reason.
I also had a small laugh at the finish that was chosen - oil rubbed bronze. This certainly isn't a historiaclly accurate finish, either, but does aesthetically match the look the builders were going for. As the building ages and more people visit the building, the levers will eventually take on a gold patina - which may or may not be what the designer was going for.
