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Galve Door Co.
Saint Louis · Est. 2015
Free quote
Home/Gallery/CWE Mahogany
Case study · Central West End · 2025

A 1908 stone-fronted home gets a real mahogany entry.

The Hendersons inherited a beautiful Central West End home with one major problem: a neglected original wood entry door — peeling, rotted at the jambs, stuck shut. Here's what we did about it.

A solid mahogany 8-foot front entry door with leaded-glass sidelights and a brass Baldwin handleset, installed in a stone arched entry on a Central West End brownstoneCentral West End / Solid Mahogany Entry
Door
Solid mahogany, 8′0"
Glass
2 sidelites, leaded
Hardware
Baldwin Boulder ORB
Investment
$8,940
Timeline
5 weeks (custom build)
The original front door before replacement — weathered, peeling, with rotted jambs, in the same stone arched entryBefore / Original Door, Failed
The challenge

Match a 1908 facade. On a real budget.

The original wood entry door had been neglected for decades — peeling finish, rotted jambs, and a stuck slab the family had stopped using. They wanted something that honored the home's 1908 stone-arched facade — heavy, paneled, with leaded sidelites and proper period hardware — but they weren't willing to spend $35K on a custom historic reproduction.

We paired a stock 8'0” mahogany unit with custom leaded sidelites and matching casing in the original colonial profile.

The details

What we got right.

True 8-foot height
Original opening was rough-framed for an 8-foot door — we restored that height instead of furring down to 6'8".
Leaded sidelites
Local studio matched a turn-of-century leaded pattern in clear and amber glass. ~$1,400 for the pair.
Period hardware
Baldwin Boulder lever set in oil-rubbed bronze. Multi-point lock for security without visible deadbolts.
Restored trim profile
Matched 5-1/4" colonial casing to the rest of the home.
Hand-stained finish
Five-coat hand-rubbed walnut stain — coordinated as a factory-finish through Therma-Tru so the door arrived cured and install-ready.
Sealed sill pan
Full pan-flash with self-adhered membrane. The threshold will not leak in our lifetime.
Close-up of a leaded-glass sidelite with a clear beveled diamond medallion centered on a textured cathedral glass field, in a dark mahogany casing next to a carved limestone columnDetail / Leaded Sidelite
Close-up of a polished-brass Baldwin handleset and deadbolt on a stained mahogany doorDetail / Baldwin Hardware
Close-up of the open mahogany door's threshold — polished brass kickplate on the slab, brass sill saddle on a limestone step, leaded-glass sidelite to the left, oak hardwood floor visible insideDetail / Sill Pan
“We talked to four installers and three of them told us the door we wanted couldn't be done for under $35K. Galve found a way. The crew was here for 11 hours and at the end of it, our house finally looks like itself again.”
— David & Maya Henderson, Central West End
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