Restoring Three Bronze Entrances at the Cathedral of St. Paul
In March 2015, my team at Metal Man Restoration was hired to restore the three front entranceways and light fixtures at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul in Hempstead, Long Island, NY. Built in 1959, the bronze doors had never been restored. Over two months we brought all three entrances and their fixtures back to the finish first applied in 1959.
The short version
- The project: the three front entranceways and light fixtures at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul in Hempstead, Long Island, NY.
- Built in 1959, the bronze doors had never been restored.
- Condition: very poor, layered with oxidation, failed clear coating, dirt, and grime, with several small finials missing.
- The two-month project combined shop and on-site work. Door handles, lighting fixtures, and moldings were restored at our facility; the doors were refinished in place.
- We stripped the buildup, re-cast the missing finials, refinished the bronze, and re-applied the oxidized patina to match the finish first applied in 1959.
- The work returned all three of the cathedral’s entrances to their original glory.
A cathedral entrance is rarely a single door. At St. Paul, it is three front entranceways plus the light fixtures that frame them, all in bronze, all part of one composition. Restoring a set like that means treating it as a system, so the three entrances match each other and the fixtures match the doors when the work is done.
What We Restored
The assignment covered all three front entranceways and the light fixtures around them. Built in 1959, the cathedral’s bronze had never been restored, so this was the first time the doors and fixtures had been brought back since the building opened. The scope made consistency across all three entrances the central challenge.
The Condition: Original Bronze, Never Restored
The bronze doors were in very poor condition, layered with oxidation, failed clear coating, dirt, and grime. As with most bronze left this long, weathering had also claimed some structural pieces. Several small finials were missing and needed to be cast before any refinishing could begin. The fixtures carried the same decades of buildup.
How We Restored the Entrances and Fixtures
The two-month project combined shop and on-site work. The removable elements, the door handles, lighting fixtures, and moldings, came to our facility for controlled restoration, while the doors themselves were refinished in place across all three entrances. That split kept the cathedral’s entrances usable while the detailed pieces got full shop attention.
After stripping the buildup and re-casting the missing finials, we refinished the bronze and re-applied the oxidized patina to match the finish first applied in 1959. Matching a specific original finish across three entrances and a set of fixtures takes a careful eye, so the whole composition reads as one consistent restoration rather than three separate jobs.
Why Consistency Across an Entrance Set Matters
When a building has multiple matching entrances, the finish has to be identical across all of them, and the fixtures have to match the doors. A patina that drifts from one entrance to the next is obvious and undoes the work. Matching every door and fixture to the original 1959 tone is what makes three restored entrances look like they were always meant to be seen together.
What This Means for Cathedrals and Large Institutions
If your building has multiple bronze entrances and matching fixtures, the St. Paul project shows how to handle the whole set at once. Original bronze that has never been restored is almost always recoverable, missing finials can be re-cast, and the original finish can be matched across every entrance. Treating it as one coordinated project keeps the result consistent. For the broader approach, see our architectural metal maintenance guide for property managers.
Common Questions About Restoring Bronze Entrances and Light Fixtures
These are the questions cathedrals and large institutions ask us most about restoring bronze entrances and their fixtures together.
Can multiple entrances be restored to match?
Yes, and matching them is the priority. At St. Paul we restored all three front entrances and matched the oxidized patina across every door. Treating the entrances as one set, rather than separate jobs, is what keeps the finish consistent from one doorway to the next.
Should light fixtures be restored with the doors?
Ideally, yes. The St. Paul fixtures were restored alongside the entrances so they match the doors when finished. Bronze fixtures and bronze doors that are restored separately can end up at different tones, so doing them together keeps the whole entrance unified.
Can you match a finish from the 1950s?
Yes. We re-applied an oxidized patina matched to the finish first applied to the cathedral in 1959. A patina is developed chemically into the bronze, so a mid-century tone can be recreated faithfully rather than approximated with paint that would look wrong on the original metal.
How long does a multi-entrance restoration take?
It depends on scope and condition. The St. Paul project ran two months because it covered three entrances and their fixtures, with re-casting and a matched patina across all of them. A single door needs far less time. We give a realistic timeline after seeing the full set.
How do I start a multi-entrance bronze project?
Send us photos of each entrance and its fixtures, the building location, and a note on their condition. We will assess the full set and tell you honestly what can be restored and how to keep every entrance matched. You can reach us through our contact page.
Have multiple bronze entrances or fixtures that need restoring?
We restore bronze entrances, light fixtures, and ornamental metal as coordinated sets for cathedrals, institutions, and historic buildings across the New York metro and the tri-state area.