ENTRANCES

The East Row Historic District displays a wide variety of entrances on the main and side facades. Doors have always been considered one of the main focal points of the house and often have been embellished with decorative panels and molding. Italianate and Queen Anne residences often display four panel doors of wood and more expensive homes have elaborate wood panels and raised moldings. Large single light glass and frame doors became popular in the Colonial Revival period with many displaying stained glass panels or leaded glass sidelights and transoms.

Door surrounds are also important elements of entrances and many early Italianate residences have entrances with molded arching of wood, stone, or sheet metal. These are often highly decorative and add greatly to a building's design.

Retention and repair of original doors is of primary importance to the character of an historic residence and helps define a house's particular style. Replacement of historic doors with doors of modern design will always detract from the appearance of the residence. Sidelights, transoms, and door surrounds are important features of entrances and original elements should be retained. Sidelights and transoms should not be covered over or enclosed.

All historic hardware such as locks, hinges, and doorknobs should be retained. If mechanical elements of locks are badly deteriorated, new locks and hardware based on historic designs are readily available from several mail order companies.

Screen doors are common additions to historic entrances. The most appropriate screen doors for buildings in the East Row area are of wood construction rather than of aluminum or other metals. Wood screen doors are available from several companies in the area or can be custom made. The wood on screen doors may be either painted to match the adjacent door trim or stained.

Buildings throughout the East Row area have exterior storm doors, which have been added in front of the original historic door. If property owners wish to apply storm doors, it is recommended that they be as compatible as possible with the historic entrance door. This can be accomplished by the use of wood frames or anodized aluminum frames to match the original door surround, and the use of storm doors with large expanses of glass to allow visibility of the historic door. "Raw" or silver aluminum storm doors should be avoided or if used the metal should be primed and painted to match the historic door or surround.

Another option which should be considered is the use of an interior storm door which is added behind the original exterior door. These types of interior storm doors are becoming more readily available and provide energy savings while preserving the original appearance of the entrance.

The use of security storm doors which have large expanses of metal grillwork should not be used on the primary entrance or other entrances on the main facade. These types of doors are acceptable for rear doors or side doors which are not readily visible. Security doors which have limited amounts of metal grillwork and large expanses of glass may be considered for primary entrances.

Original Italianate door surround at 819 Overton Street.

 

ENTRANCE GUIDELINES

• Original doors shall be retained and maintained through continued repair and maintenance. Wood doors which were never painted shall remain unpainted. Deteriorated or missing elements should be replicated in kind with new frame or glass to match the original. Locks and other hardware should be repaired as long as practical. Where retention is not possible, new locks based on historic designs are available.
• Enclosing of transoms and sidelights shall not occur. Original elements of transoms and sidelights shall be retained.
• The installation of modern flush doors or variations out of keeping with the character of the house shall not occur.
• New doors with ornate or elaborate metal designs shall not be installed.
• Door openings shall never be reduced, filled in or enlarged on the main or side facades. Alterations at rear entrances are discouraged but allowable if not readily visible from the street facade(s).
• The removal of wood or brick elements for the addition of a new door on the main or side facades shall not occur. The removal of brick or wood elements at rear facades is discouraged but allowable if not readily visible from the street facade (s).
• If replacement of an historic door on the main facade is necessary, the removal of an original door from the side or rear facades to the main entrance is acceptable providing the doors match in appearance and size.
• Some buildings have lost their original main entrances and now display modern doors. The replacement of these doors with doors in keeping with the building's architectural design is recommended. Many salvage companies or stores specializing in historic architectural features have appropriate replacement doors.
• If screen doors are desired for doors on the main or side facades they should be of simple wood design with as much open screen area as possible. Screen door framing should be painted the same color as the door to blend together. If horizontal rails and vertical stiles are built into the door, they should be matched with the rail and stile design on the original door. Screen doors on rear facades may have metal frames, if so desired.
• Storm doors should be of wood or of dark anodized or baked aluminum. Raw or unpainted aluminum frames should be primed and painted to match the surrounding trim.

 

Common door designs found in the East Row Historic District.

 

Doors to be avoided in the historic district.

 

Appropriate screen door designs.

Return to Table of Contents