What Are Those Little Doors in Old Houses For?

If you’ve ever wandered through an old house, especially one built before the 1960s, you may have noticed a tiny, mysterious door tucked into a hallway near the kitchen or by the back entry. These little doors—too small to walk through and too intentional to be just a vent—often leave modern homeowners scratching their heads. But as it turns out, they weren’t random at all.

1. Game Time
2. Architectural Blasts From the Past

Game Time

According to Taste of Home, many of these small doors served as built-in storage spots for folding or collapsible card tables. By the mid-20th century, card games, puzzle nights, and casual gatherings were a favorite way to spend time together and provided a central form of entertainment and social connection. Back then, families didn’t have big screens or endless shows to binge; instead, they pulled out a simple card table for games like bridge, canasta, or an evening puzzle.

Rather than cramming a bulky table into an overcrowded closet or hauling it up from the basement, many homes had slim, dedicated cubbies to keep items like card tables close at hand but neatly out of sight. So, when a neighbor dropped by unannounced (as they often did), the host could pull out the table, set out some snacks, and voilà—an instant gathering space was created.

You Might Also Like ...

• 10 Charming Quirks of Old Houses
• What's the Meaning Behind the Metal Stars You Often See on Old Houses?
• What Happened to Dining Rooms?

Today, the purpose of these tiny doors is all but obsolete. That said, some homeowners choose to keep them as charming reminders of a slower, more neighborly time. Others, meanwhile, opt to repurpose them into hidden pantries, creative storage spots (they’re especially great for those who are tight on space!) or quirky little display nooks.

Architectural Blasts From the Past

Of course, these little doors are just one example of how older homes were intentionally designed with everyday living in mind. From fold-down ironing boards to built-in phone nooks, these clever design touches made daily routines easier and helped create spaces where family and friends could gather with ease. In this case, beyond simple storage, these small doors reflected a thoughtful approach to home life—one that prioritized comfort, authentic social connection, and functionality in equal measure.

But beyond game nights and impromptu social gatherings, there are other reasons why an older house may feature tiny doors:

• A small exterior door that leads to a basement may have once been used for coal. A coal delivery person would simply shovel coal into a customer’s house via the opening. 
• Other small, exterior, cubby-like doors were used for milk deliveries. The local milkman would place his goods in the door each morning; the customers would also leave their empty milk bottles there for the milkman to collect and reuse. 
• Some houses had little exterior door that were used for ice deliveries: Before refrigerators, an iceman would open these doors and place ice directly into an icebox.
• Many 20th-century homes include laundry chutes, which allowed homeowners to toss their dirty garments into a small door—usually in a bathroom or cabinet—that would dump their clothes right into the laundry room.

Read More About Architecture: