St. Mary’s Catholic Church

Several years ago, a fire damaged St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Massillon. The church’s parishioners wanted to replace the hundred-year-old doors with authentic replicas.

The parish called Gerstenslager Construction, a millwork shop that produces trim, casing, and baseboard. They, in turn, called Rockwood. A partner for 20 years, Gerstenslager trusted we’d be a valued collaborator in the restoration.

We were asked to craft three pairs of exterior doors and 12 interior doors. Not only did we perform research to match and replicate the very nuanced design and character of the original doors, but we also made sure our creations aligned with the remaining doors. A special challenge was — as part of the reconstruction — a ceiling had to be lowered; this changed the door specs and required us to adapt the historical design to a new door height.

In the end, the parishioners were thrilled with the results, and some couldn’t even tell the difference. When the new doors arrived, several people thought the damaged doors had been salvaged.