The Washington Street Methodist Church was founded in 1804. Since that time, the corner of Washington and Marion Streets has been the landmark of four church buildings. The fourth and current church was dedicated on June 20, 1875.
Over the years, the elements have taken their toll on the entrance doors. The scope of work was divided into two parts. The first included the sanctuary’s oak main entrance doors and 8’x4’ arched transom. The second part included repairs of the sanctuary’s smaller entrance doors and arched transoms, the alcove doors and arched transom, the secondary sanctuary entrance doors, and the planked doors with arched transom.
All the doors and transoms were carefully removed and a temporary closure was installed over the entranceways. As with every restoration project, we first examine the items to determine their condition.
The doors and transoms were disassembled with prudence to preserve as much of the original wood as possible. They were stripped, cleaned, and sanded. Repairs made to the doors and transoms included solid oak and epoxy. The unusable center oak panels and glass panel framing served as templates to replicate the replacements.
The secondary sanctuary doors were all new construction and fabricated to mimic the original main doors’ 1875 Gothic design.
The doors and transoms were finished with a waterborne finish with an impregnated stain and sealer to protect from the degrading effects of direct sun and harsh weather. The stained glass, new framing, and restored hardware were attached, we reinstalled the doors and transoms to their original placements.
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