Monday, May 27, 2013

The Door, A Lost Art

You really should take a close look at the doors in the old part of the house. They are as original as the day they were installed back in 1892 and are in remarkable condition, primarily because nobody ever uses the formal entry.


The detail is pretty remarkable, all beveled glass and each opening carefully carved.


The original hardware even includes a little flap to cover the deadbolt.


The smaller door on the side of the front porch is just as nice.


This door also has the original hardware although some new deadbolts were also added somewhere along the line.


It is a shame nobody ever uses these doors. Someday we plan to redo the driveway to encourage guests to use them. Doors of this quality are hard to find. In fact, today I cleaned all the entry and screen doors and found it interesting that the newer 1970s doors in the back of the house are in much worse shape some even need replacing, but the doors from 1892 are as plumb and straight as can be. 


Not only is the art of making a door lost, apparently the skill of hanging a door properly is hard to find. 


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting doors and pretty. I think it also because the wood quality is much different. linda

Julie Ann said...

Before I retired and moved to my new (2009) house in Georgia, my home in Milwaukee was built in 1888 and had the original door. I had it refinished and better glass put in (glass had been replaced at somepoint) and I just loved it. It had carving and was so pretty. Maybe you can find "new" doors at the salvage yards to replace your 1970s doors. As you know, a little work and they could be awesome, too! I love your house!

Earlene said...

Christine it would be grand to see a comeback of such pride in doors and the wonderful beautiful homes.

Elaine said...

Those doors are absolutely gorgeous!! Do you have to oil the wood or wax it or anything? Love that old beveled glass!!

Jayne said...

Gorgeous doors and hardware!

Christine said...

Elaine, I don't think anyone has done a thing to them in years. Certainly not in the last 15 years anyway.

Roofing and More Inc. said...

The older a door gets, the more elegant it gets! Just like this door, as it maintained its beauty for almost over a hundred years. Is there any possibility that this vintage door can be restored? Stuff like this should be well taken care of.

Unknown said...

This door looks awesome! It reminds me of the doors we have in our university. Those doors were as old as the building itself! Perhaps they were built with solid materials, so they still remained in good condition even if many decades have already passed.

Roselia Mangione @ All County Exteriors