Another example of a historical symbol with an altered meaning in the Vanna
Venturi house is the arch over the entry doorway. The arch signifies “entry” and
structural integrity in ancient architecture. Indeed, Venturi places an arch above the
front door of the Vanna Venturi house as if to signify the entrance using this
antiquated method. However, he cuts through the arch where the keystone would
be, subtracting the most crucial piece of a true arch. While the arch still signifies
the dominant entrance to the building, it no longer stands for structural integrity; it
is cut through in the same stroke as the apex of the non-structural roof. The
signifier of the arch is still the same, but in the way that Venturi has altered it the
signified is something much more postmodern in its conceptualization. Venturi’s
archway suggests an event of entry, but even more relevant is that the incongruity
of the entire building is suggested as the eye travels across the incomplete arch.