Lock Replacement in New Haven, CT

Old doors, newer hardware

About one in five Connecticut homes was built in 1939 or earlier, and parts of New Haven, such as Wooster Square, have been developed since the 1820s. A door from before 1940 may still hold a mortise lock, a boxed mechanism set into a pocket cut in the door edge. Most modern deadbolts need a round bore through the face instead, so switching styles can mean filling, cutting or reinforcing the door. Fitting a new mortise lock into the same pocket, or a new cylinder into the existing case, usually leaves the door intact.

Wooster Square

Wooster Square, east of Downtown, was developed from the 1820s. By the 1840s ship captains and wholesale grocers were building large houses near the port, and the 40-acre historic district, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971, now mixes Greek Revival, Italian Villa and Second Empire houses with Late Victorian Italianate row houses. On a door of that age, mention whether the lock and trim are original. The options usually range from rebuilding the original, to replacing its internals behind the old face, to new hardware sized to the existing openings.

Ninth Square storefronts

In the Ninth Square Historic District, several commercial blocks date from the first half of the 1800s, which is rare in Connecticut downtowns, and granite piers along State Street mark the original storefronts. Replacement work there can involve a storefront door, a street door to the upper floors or an apartment door, and each may need different hardware. Say which door it is and whether it is original before choosing a lock.

When replacement makes sense

• The key turns but the bolt no longer throws fully or the latch will not catch.
• The lock was damaged in a break-in or forced entry.
• There is only a knob lock and you want a deadbolt, or you want a smart lock on a door that can take one.
• Parts for an old mechanism can no longer be found.

If the lock works and only the keys are the concern, rekeying leaves the hardware in place. More on lock replacement and New Haven.