“It kinda feels like a Chronicles of Narnia thing,” says San Dieguito Academy teacher Martin Chaker. Cloaked by rustling leaves and covered in pillar-shaped shadows, the ‘Door to Nowhere’ – the lone door near the Mosaic Cafe – has been an object of curiosity on campus for as long as time can tell. Its peculiarity and mysterious origins have sparked many questions about the door’s intended purpose and meaning. 

“I’ve always had mixed feelings about it,” stated Chaker.  “I…wish I knew the context, at least, and all the story behind it. And it always feels like if we don’t know that, why are we keeping it?”

But we actually do know the story behind this famed door. Past SDA senior Louis Peiser designed the “Door to Nowhere” in 2012 as what would become his final art leadership project in SDA teacher Jeremy Wright’s visual arts class. The door itself was bought from a salvaged materials store in Leucadia and later custom built by Peiser and Wright. Despite its current nickname, the original intention of the door was to symbolize the transition or entryway to the future. 

“The project was conceived during my last semester of senior year, at a time when myself and everyone around me was about to graduate and transition to a completely new life,” explains Peiser. “An open door was meant to be a symbolic version of that time in our lives, where we were all stepping forward into something totally new.” Partially inspired by the floating doors in the beloved movie Monsters Inc., Peiser believed that doors in general were “physical and mental thresholds between different experiences”, and that they could represent both the dilemmas and vast opportunities awaiting the graduating seniors.

 Another misconception regarding the door is the symbolism of its location. Even though the “Door to Nowhere” may seem to have a relationship with the pergola (archway) it was built under, Peiser chose the location solely because it was his favorite campus spot during his senior year. He also stated that the door reinforced the pergola’s idea of an open room, since the door frame was not connected to any walls.

Although the door’s current nickname is almost counterintuitive to its real meaning, Peiser never established an official name and believes it should be called whatever the students decide. “Once it was built. it was then up to the public to interpret it, name it, and find meaning from it as they chose,” explained Peiser. “Which is how all public art exists, really – the artist no longer owns it, the public does.” This exemplifies the concept of art leadership, which Wright defines as creating an “art project bigger than yourself”.  A little mystery or enigma simply means there is more room for interpretation. 

Whether students call it the “Door to Nowhere” or the “Door to the Future”, Peiser’s project reflects the essence of SDA culture and values. Grasping the possibility fostered on campus, students are able to choose what is on the other side of the door and envision their futures. In addition, SDA’s “funky” architecture symbolizes the individuality and uniqueness embraced within our community, and our Door to Nowhere is a perfect example of that. “It captures your imagination,” says Chaker. “It is very SDA.”