Take a flat bar, and try to pry the door and the jam apart. The bolt isn't very long, so you might be able to do it. I had to do this to my front door years ago when the key broke off in the lock.

Just checked and it looks like the other side of the door is pretty tight. But I have some shims. I'll try this when my downstairs neighbors are up and let you know if it worked. Thanks!

Just noticed one of the exposed hinges in the picture.

And thanks for the warning on the weight. I probably wouldn't have thought of that.

Once open repair the door knob or replace.

Slide it down and see if you can push the bolt back into the door and pop it open. That should do the least damage if you can make it work. Once the door is open, change out the door knob and all the parts inside.

other way. It's flat on my side.

My building is very, very weirdly constructed. Some things are genius. Some are just a total pain!

But thank you!

Sometimes this trick works and sometimes it doesn’t. I was hoping to save you all the work of removing the bolts from the hinges, which is a real pain. I hope you can get to your coffee soon!

then you can get to the screws to fix or change out the doornob and lock mechanism.

Just start with the middle hinge. A Phillips Screwdriver our large nail and hammer can be used to remove the pins from the hinges.

I always remove the hinges in this order, middle, bottom, top.

You might have to use a prybar or flat screwdriver to loosen the door, but once the hinges are off, it should come right out.

For interior doors, I always install the doorknob with the screw access on the outside because this has happened to me before.

Use one of them to "grab" the bolt near the jam and wiggle it out, and the other one to hold it in place so it doesn't keep slipping back in.

It never happened to me, so...

Pop open a cold frosty and relax, admiring elegance of this simple solution. Being troubled by time travel paradoxes only means it's time for another cold frosty

them a few things. Some stuff they did great! Like they wired all the apartments so that they have two sources. So if there's a blackout you seldom lose full power. Genius! But then they did stuff like this.

However, it is a hundred years later. I suppose I can't complain about the lasting power of their work.

I'd try that if some gentle prybar action doesn't do the trick. If off-hinges doesn't work for some reason, I'd partly reinsert the pins and try to saw off the doorknob to see if the bolt can be jiggled enough for off-hinges to succeed: but do wear safety goggles: I once got a tiny splinter of brass in my eye, and although it did no real damage, the ER visit sucked up about six hours, during most of which I was in excruciating pain, until Dr Steady Hands found it and plucked it out

From some sawed piece of metal that got tossed on the shelf without being rinsed or wiped first, I'd guess. Repeated rinsing didn't work. Doc numbed my eye, couldn't find the problem, got some fancy strap-on microscope and fluorescent dye, looked and immediately said "Oh, there it is" and that was that. Worst thing was the before hours of keeping my arms down and my fists clenched so I didn't rub my eye and grind it in

is that the hinge for the door to the left? If so knock out the pins and then loosen it off the hinge. You make have to cut or scrape the paint to loosen it.

If so you will need an allen wrench to get it out then your doorknob should come off.

Got all excited, and thought I found it, but it turned out to just be dirt.

But thank you. It was worth the try.

not sure if there was some "doh!" solution to the doorknob, but it appears there is not. So I feel better going for the pins.

I'm waiting for a decent hour for my downstairs neighbors and then I'll get to it.

I'll report back once it's done.

Thank you all for your advice. I've learned a lot and you have helped me come up with the solution.

Mwah to all of you!

PS: Aren't you excited about Kamala?

See the slight dome with a dark edge? Check with a screwdriver to see if it is a cap and try to pop it off. A thin flat head should be able to get into the groove and pry it.

If that is a cap, there should be one on each side and that should reveal the nut/bolt that holds it to the door.

I thought that might be it. I've come across knobs that are like that.

You're welcome. Good luck with that odd knob there.

hinges. I'll report back on how it went.

Thanks to everyone.

They’re really pretty on the inside too

A paper clip can be used to push in hidden pin to release knob and expose opening mechanism. If it is as old as you suspect this will not work and you are lucky the hinges are exposed. Good luck!

They are very decent problem solvers in this capacity.

We had a dog that was very witty and nicknamed him Houdini. He understood the function of a doorknob, but couldn't quite turn it. Occasionally he would get it!

Just making fun! Hope you get it fixed

(we joked that he must've had his own key set.....)

But it was a very old farmhouse, and none of the doors actually locked! (out there in the toolies in those days, nobody locked doors anyway; nobody worried about thefts, and, hell--we didn't have anything worth stealing anyway (except the raccoon.))

look on the bottom side of the knob where it goes into the estrucheon plate. There should be an indent or a pin that goes into the knob. if it's a pin use a paper clip or small screwdriver to push the pin into the knob while pulling out on the knob. it should seperate, then look for a cut out slot on the door knob estrucheon plate, insert a small screwdriver into that slot and pop the plate off to expose the screws.

I think you'll find that the spring has broken on the striker. or the old pot metal has broken. .

Replace as possible.

You also need to put an oversize estrucheon plate behind that knob, the door is getting chewed up and that will lead to more $$ spent on an easy repair.

To pop the door open, use a nut pick between the door and jamb at the striker and work the bolt back. You might need two picks.

The disassembly may also have to be done from the inside part of the latch instead of the exterior side. Check the other existing latches and good luck. If you'll fly me in from west central floriduh I'd be glad to only charge $65.00 to repair that.