The stranger entering a door or gate looks to it for a sign or symbol of what and who awaits him beyond. A good entry feature or gateway should give the stranger clues to what awaits him beyond the entry to the best advantage and in the best light. It should prepare him like the introduction of a book or the overture of a symphony. Overstatement and understatement are undesirable. A reasonable relationship must exist between the entry and the site beyond the entry.

In ancient times the design of an entrance feature was often purely functional and primarily for defensive purposes, but in the modern era many of the design features such as guard towers which were once purely functional have become the idiom of entry feature design. Long after the need for defense, entrance features were built with flanking towers and a room over the opening, as though to house the machinery for raising and lowering the gate. Gradually the fortress-like appearance was modified and the fortifications were reduced to decoration.

As the design idiom of entry features evolved arched gateways were replaced by two piers flanking the gate which might or might not have wingwalls. The piers were made of masonry and might be decorated with caps, banding, niches or carved panels. The entry feature might include places for visitors to sit while awaiting admittance to the grounds. Urns or statuary might be incorporated into the caps of piers. Gates and attached fences of wrought iron allowed a clear view of entry drive, courtyard and the mansion within the site.

Initially, American landscape architects carefully copied the entry features of England and Europe, but generally reduced the entry features in scale and employed simpler design. Gateway styles became highly diverse reflecting the eclectic architectural style.

Today, this design history for entry features has given the end user a full range of choices from the most elaborate to the most simple. Occasionally, one still finds the arched entry gate with flanking towers imitating the gateway to an ancient fortress. But often the entry feature has been simplified to simple wingwalls that may or may not have columns or piers. Which is appropriate? Always the rule remains: Overstatement and understatement are undesirable. A reasonable relationship must exist between the entry and the site beyond the entry.