# Does the White House have locks on the doors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385 "2008-02-13T01:37:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/21 "2008-02-14T00:53:58Z")
The Master has commented on this: [Why is there braille on drive-up teller machines? (20-May-1994)](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_010.html) ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/22 "2008-02-14T01:50:27Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] A recent GQ thread on this subject had no conclusive answer. [Key to the White House?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=450848) [/QUOTE] I thought this looked familiar. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/23 "2008-02-14T07:12:33Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] Speaking of symbolic, when you visit the Nixon Library ( [http://www.nixonlibraryfoundation.org](http://www.nixonlibraryfoundation.org) ), one of the exhibits is a display case containing “keys of the city” to places that Mr. Nixon visited (I can’t remember any specific city but the ones displayed were mostly large american cities like Chicago or Philadelphia). I wonder what door those keys opened? And do cities still do that? My dream is to one day be presented with “the key to the city” when I go somewhere. [/QUOTE] Really? Well, when and where is there going to be an OC DopeFest? I won a key to the city of Orange on the Mark and Brian show a couple of years ago, and I could really use that space on my wall… ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/24 "2008-02-14T14:58:44Z")
[QUOTE=ChrisBooth12] They probably do as its probably cheaper to buy a door with a lock on it. Kinda like how drive thru ATMs have been set up for the blind [/QUOTE] Well, first, doors just aren’t sold with locksets (or knobs) installed. Now think about what you said. A manufacturer is going to _buy_ a lock, go through the additional expense of installing it on the door, and then sell the door/lock combination for _less_ than he would sell just the door? Hah! The photo **cckerberos** links to shows clearly that the exterior door to the Oval Office has a lock on it. Alas, that tells us nothing about the main entrances to the White House. I wonder if, during a “lockdown”, they actually lock all the exterior doors. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/25 "2008-02-14T19:52:34Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Really? Well, when and where is there going to be an OC DopeFest? I won a key to the city of Orange on the Mark and Brian show a couple of years ago, and I could really use that space on my wall… [/QUOTE] I’ll keep my eyes peeled in MPSIMS for the next OC dopefest, and hope to meet you there! I don’t want to take your valuable artifact away from you, but if you let me touch it I would be honoured. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/26 "2008-02-14T20:05:47Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] I’ll keep my eyes peeled in MPSIMS for the next OC dopefest, and hope to meet you there! I don’t want to take your valuable artifact away from you, but if you let me touch it I would be honoured. [/QUOTE] Cool. I’m usually pretty lax about visiting MPSIMS, so if you notice something before I do, you have my email. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/27 "2008-02-14T20:11:22Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] Are those types of keys usually red? [/QUOTE] **throws rotten tomato** 😛 ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/28 "2008-02-14T20:55:26Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] ! I don’t want to take your valuable artifact away from you, but if you let me touch it I would be honoured. [/QUOTE] :eek: can’t ever be too careful about lettin’ some one touch your valuable artifact… ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/29 "2008-02-17T02:40:19Z")
Wouldn’t there be a ceremony? You know, like, a changing of the guards. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385/30 "2008-02-17T04:22:18Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Really? Well, when and where is there going to be an OC DopeFest? I won a key to the city of Orange on the Mark and Brian show a couple of years ago, and I could really use that space on my wall… [/QUOTE] SoCal Dopefest - Spring 2008 > **[SoCal Dopefest - Spring 2008](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=455705)** > > This may fail miserably, but I’m going to give it a shot anyway. There’s been some discussion (rumbling, if you will) about bringing the Southern California Dopers together for a decently sized get-together. In addition, we learned in this thread... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-white-house-have-locks-on-the-doors/437385.md?page=1)