Historical Steel Doors
Our historical reproduction steel doors are designed to preserve the character of heritage architecture while meeting modern performance standards. Each project is custom crafted to replicate original designs with precision and durability.
If your project is in a historic protection area you may be required to match your new doors and windows on the main facade to match both the dimensions and design of your existing doors and windows to meet the requirements of the conservation officer. Our HERRERO team is trained to replicate these, with the advanced technology of galvanized steel and contributing to the thermal performance of your project.
Benefits:
- Custom design
- Thermal performance
- Security with single and multi-point systems
- Durability due to the treatment of hot-dip galvanized steel
- Ease of maintenance
- Quick installation
Available Lines
Reproduction, Not Approximation
On a heritage property the replacement door has one job: to look like it was always there. That is a harder brief than building a new door, because the target is not a catalogue profile — it is whatever the original builder made, in whatever proportion the rest of the facade was composed around.
We reproduce period steel doors and windows for California Craftsman, Arts & Crafts and other heritage properties, working from the surviving units, the original drawings, or photographs when nothing else remains. Read how we approach restoration projects.
What Gets Matched
Proportion first: the sightline widths, the position of the meeting rail, the rhythm of the divisions. These are what the eye reads before it registers anything else, and getting them wrong is what makes a replacement look like a replacement.
Then the details that date a unit — the profile section, the glazing bar shape, the hardware. And finally the finish, which can be matched to the original color or deliberately shifted where the project calls for contrast between old fabric and new work.
Why Modern Steel Helps
The original was steel, so the material is not a compromise — it is the correct one. What has changed is everything around it.
A period steel door was single glazed and unprotected against corrosion, which is why so few survive in working condition. We build the same profile with hot-dip galvanizing as standard, contemporary glazing and modern seals, so a reproduction outperforms the unit it replaces while looking indistinguishable from it.
Where the envelope calculation demands it, the thermally broken ECO-SKY line can carry a historical profile — period proportion, current Title 24 performance. Review glass options; NFRC ratings and labels supplied for permit submittal.
Working With Review Boards
Heritage projects usually answer to a preservation authority or design review board, and approval turns on documentation rather than intent. We produce shop drawings that show the profile against the original so the match can be assessed before anything is fabricated. See our resources for architects.
