Brownstone Doors

Today we’re sharing with you an inspiring project we completed in Staten Island. For this project we had the pleasure of working with clients who were looking to upgrade their century-old entry door. As specialists in recreating doors in historic styles, the clients chose our company to design and fabricate a new door that would complement the aesthetic of their beautiful Colonial Revival style home.

The custom Mahogany door we created features four true divided lites, adding depth and character to the entrance. The new door surround, painted black, was a perfect complement to the white shingles and the stained Mahogany door. It provides a striking contrast, making the door and entrance stand out and adding a modern touch to the overall look. The result is an entrance that is elegant and substantial.

At our company, we understand the importance of every detail when it comes to creating a beautiful and functional entrance. The clients were pleased with the result and felt that the new door and surround gave their home the refreshed look they were seeking. They appreciated the collaborative process we engaged in with them, from design to installation, and the attention to detail we brought to every aspect of the project.

We believe that every home deserves a beautiful and functional entrance, and we look forward to working with you to make your vision a reality.





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It's fairly common to come across an entry with the double doors with a transom sash above on a NYC rowhouse - and assume that it's original.

But is it? That depends.

Our experience shows that many of the entry doors with a transom are old but not as old as the house itself.

As an example, let’s take a look at the entrance doors of the four wood framed row houses in the posted photos. The exterior details indicate that these houses were built at the same, likely by the same builder. They were the built in the late 1870s on Herkimer St, between Schenectady Ave and Utica Ave - Nos. 628 - 634.  No longer standing, they were demolished in the mid-1970s to make room for a high school. 

The first photo of No. 628 shows double entrance doors with a transom sash.

However, the next three houses Nos. 630-634 have full height double doors.

Clearly, originally No. 628 Herkimer St rowhouse also had full height entry doors but somewhere along the way the entry was retrofitted with double doors with a transom, a configuration that became increasingly common in the beginning of the 20th century. 

It's not surprising, considering that by the time these photos were taking, in the early 1940s, these houses were nearly 70 years old.

We love the details and proportion of these stately entry doors. Our favorite part is the round turned astragal, adding more charm to these doors.

Like many NYC brownstones, this Park Slope brownstone was missing its original entry doors. As usual we consulted the 1940s tax photos. Thankfully, some of the neighboring houses in the row have retained the original doors and we were able to closely replicate the proportions and the details. The only change made was swapping the upper wood panel for the glass panel for more light to come through during the day.

One of the previous posts mentioned that brownstone doors were always sold in a set and the entry doors were typically made with upper solid wood panels for security and insulation and the vestibule door had glazed upper panels.  It was common to keep the entry door open during the day.  When the entry doors were open they tucked neatly into a niche and created an impression of an all paneled entryway. 

The times have changed and customers are asking for doors made with tall glass panels that brighten the vestibule of the brownstone.