For the park, see Washington Square (Philadelphia). Washington Square West is a neighborhood in downtown, or Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Electric Door Strike (image from bigasterisk.com) A better solution for door security hardware during a power outage is to use electric strikes. An electric strike is a mechanically operated strike that releases a door when the mechanical part is activated.
The door lock actuator is a small electric motor. It works with a series of gears. Once engaged, the motor turns spur gears that serve as a gear reduction. The rack and pinion gears are the last gear set and are connected to the actuator rod. This converts the rotational motion into linear motion which moves the lock.