Henninger's Herald: Delaware Doors

St. Mary's in Delaware, Ohio is a grand church with a brick structure in Gothic style. Its two spires tower over the town. In 1980 the church was listed in the National Register of Historic places. Unfortunately, the main doors did not fit in with the rest of the Church. They were made of glass and steel and resembled storefront doors. Recently, Henninger's was contacted for a design of for new wood doors with stained glass windows.

Storefront doors before project began

Henninger's design for new doors

Fr. Michael Watson, pastor of St. Mary Church, asked for the new doors to made of solid wood. The middle double doors should be raised from 7 feet in height to 8 feet in height. A handicap entrance button was included as well.

The stained glass windows designed for the doors used a pattern in the nave of the church. Debbie Knopf, one of Henninger's skilled and experienced stained glass artists, handled the fabrication of the windows. The patterns on the leaded glass windows were hand-painted in black matte. When complete, they were encapsulated in tempered glass for safety.

Stained glass design

Debbie Knopf, Henninger's stained glass artist

Tim Molnar led Henninger's woodworkers with the building of the solid wood doors. An expert craftsman with decades of experience, Tim oversaw every facet of the project, from milling and assembly to sanding, staining, and finishing. Each set of door had a new transom made. The middle doors had sidelights built. New jambs were made for all three areas. To put it simply, this was a big job!

Tim Molnar and woodworking crew

A crew of four of Henninger's service team - Tim Molnar, Natalie Molnar, Jerry Klimo, and Adam Klimo - installed the doors over the week of June 1, 2015. New hardware was included with each door. The stone work on the facade of the church was being restored at the same time as the door installation, adding to the facelift.