This 19th-century physician’s house and clinic once had a double door for admission of patients. The door’s arch remnants are seen here. It’s not known why the double door opening was bricked in, and a single door with a steel lintel installed in its place.
After removing the lintel, I also had to remove more bricks than required for a new arch, the form of which is here in place. The double-door infill bricks were not stack-bonded to the originals, and the whitish remnant arch joints were hairline cracked. I didn’t care to have a hundred pounds of bricks falling down on me. Ample arch form support was another worry, so a couple of the homeowners’ 2x4s were scrounged up to brace the form.
A segmental double arch was built to the same height of the original, semi-circular arches; a flat arch over the door; and the tympanum—a fancy name for the infill.
The double-door outlines have begun to lighten up and disappear. The repairs to the left of the door’s bottom half are fresh here, still dark. The bricks just above the foundation stones were repaired after this picture was taken. A house-side porch will be extended around the corner, and this entrance provided some steps for the first time since … who knows how long.
The metal “flowers” to the right were each visited by a hummingbird one day.
The metal “flowers” to the right were each visited by a hummingbird one day.