This doorway is a work of art called "Typanum". It is on the Smithsonian's Inventory (
visit link) which provides this description:
"A tympanum in relief is installed over a set of double doors within an arched niche. The central element is the Coat of Arms for the City of Santa Barbara. On the left stands Aristotle, representing Science and History, wearing a green toga, red cloak and long gray beard. Plato, representing Philosophy and Literature, stands on the right wearing a blue and red toga with a green and white drape. Both figures holds books. Shields for four famous European libraries are installed along the top. Decorative elements include scrollwork and bunches of fruit."
NOTE: THE SMITHSONIAN INVENTORY IS INACCURATE... PLATO IS THE FIGURE ON THE LEFT AND ARISTOTLE IS THE FIGURE ON THE RIGHT. Each figure is labeled and the figure on the left is clearly labeled Plato in the Greek alphabet.
The sculptures of Plato and Aristotle are about 3 feet tall.
A plaque at the site reads:
"TYMPANUM
THE WOOD CARVING ABOVE WAS DESIGNED BY CARLETON M.
WINSLOW AND EXECUTED BY MARSHALL LAIRD. AT THE
CENTER IS THE COAT-OF-ARMS OF THE CITY. ON EITHER
SIDE ARE FIGURES OF PLATO AND ARISTOTLE. SURROUNDING
THE CENTER ARE THE SHIELDS OF FOUR FAMOUS
LIBRARIES; FROM THE LEFT, THE UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA,
THE BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE IN PARIS, THE UNIVERSITY
OF SALAMANCA AND THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY"
As for Plato, Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Plato ... was a philosopher in Classical Greece. He was also a mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. In the words of A. N. Whitehead:
The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. I do not mean the systematic scheme of thought which scholars have doubtfully extracted from his writings. I allude to the wealth of general ideas scattered through them.
Plato's sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him. Plato's writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato's texts. Plato's dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, religion and mathematics. Plato is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy."
As for the crater, Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Plato is the lava-filled remains of a lunar impact crater on the Moon. It is located on the northeastern shore of the Mare Imbrium, at the western extremity of the Montes Alpes mountain range. In the mare to the south are several rises collectively named the Montes Teneriffe. To the north lies the wide stretch of the Mare Frigoris. East of the crater, among the Montes Alpes, are several rilles collectively named the Rimae Plato.
The age of Plato is about 3.84 billion years, only slightly younger than the Mare Imbrium to the south. The rim is irregular with 2-km-tall jagged peaks that project prominent shadows across the crater floor when the Sun is at a low angle. Sections of the inner wall display signs of past slumping, most notably a large triangular slide along the western side. The rim of Plato is circular, but from the Earth it appears oval due to foreshortening.
Plato CraterThe flat floor of Plato has a relatively low albedo, making it appear dark in comparison to the surrounding rugged terrain. The floor is free of significant impact craters and lacks a central peak. However there are a few small craterlets scattered across the floor.
Plato has developed a reputation for transient lunar phenomena, including flashes of light, unusual colour patterns, and areas of hazy visibility. These anomalies are likely a result of seeing conditions, combined with the effects of different illumination angles of the Sun.
The 17th-century astronomer Hevelius called this feature the 'Greater Black Lake'."