Good Sources for Mid-Century style Entry Doors

11 years ago

I know this is a window forum, but there's no door forum so I'll post this here since this comes closest....

I need a replacement door for a 1950s house built in what was then considered a modern/contemporary style home - stone and brick front, large metal horizontal windows (some which wrap around the sides of the house), low-pitch roof. Most of the big door manufacturers are pushing doors with elaborate, ornate decorative glass, usually in an oval, large rectangle, or arch shape, in deeply sculpted doors. Sometimes several of the above in the same door. These look perfect on big Colonial-style McMansions, but is all wrong for my house. But with a few exceptions, I'm having trouble locating vendors for good replacement doors for a mid-century upscale ranch house. The current door looks like the top one here - which I like, or would if it were stained wood or painted a more muted color - but it's custom made by a small vendor and rather pricey. What big, lower-cost door companies make these?

The only big manufacturer I've found so far making this general style is ProVia, whose line of clear glass doors includes these:

I'd like both of these better if the glass came further down the door. They have one with a diamond-shaped window, but again it needs three stacked vertically to look right and function well. Something like the door on the bottom would work well, with an asymetrical narrow but tall window offset toward the opening side.

So what else is out there? Anyone know where to look? Thanks.

Comments (9)

ashebrook
11 years ago
I think you might like one of these:

http://www.crestviewdoors.com/order/crestview-doors-and-entry-systems.html

I learned about that manufacturer from reading retrorenovation.com which you also might like since you have a midcentury house.
lee676
Original Author
11 years ago
I think Crestview makes the doors from the top pictures - that was the main one I found. They apparently didn't even sell whole doors at first, just the windows and associated hardware and trimpieces for you to insert yourself in a plain flush door. Those became so popular that they started selling whole doors since then, and I may get one. But there must be other choices out there, one with a local vendor where I can look at the doors and check out the quality.
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millworkman
11 years ago
A real lumberyard or good local window and door dealer should be able to help you as these are available thru most millwork houses.
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
Polaris makes that top door.

Where is the home located?

Here is a link that might be useful: Polaris Doors
lee676
Original Author
11 years ago
I'm near Washington DC, not near the midwestern vendors that Polaris stocks. Tney have some doors in their "City Lites Collection" tnat may work, although the triple-lite door looks more like the ProVia white doors I showed earlier than the Crestview door at the top of the page (with overlapping, larger windows) which is what I have there now).
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
Polaris does service this area but they do not have a stocking location.

You have your pick of the litter when it comes to door suppliers out here.

Provia makes a very nice unit as does Polaris, HMI, Therma-Tru, Pella, etc.
lee676
Original Author
11 years ago

this is just gorgeous.

the door, the house, the photograph....
lee676
Original Author
11 years ago
This one quite nice too.

I'm leaning toward the ProVia though given what seems to be its good rep. Pella and ThermaTru didn't seem to have what I'm looking for. Still considering Crestview too - would I be better off buying their complete door, or just their window kits to install in the flush door of my choice?
millworkman
11 years ago
I am not a fan of Crestview, quality is marginal from what I have seen, read and been told. Straigh internet companies are not a good choice but that is only my opinion.