Commercial Locksmith in Ann Arbor, MI

Ann Arbor's historic business streets

Downtown's earliest stores were mostly wood-frame. After the Civil War a building boom brought two- and three-story masonry buildings, and the Main Street district still has many narrow buildings with tall first-floor storefronts. From the 1870s a second business area grew on State Street beside the University of Michigan. Its buildings are mostly two-story and early 20th-century, and they include the Nickels Arcade.

That history shows at the door. Many Ann Arbor storefronts have recessed entries, and the Historic District Commission's design guidelines describe the historic storefront entry as a wood door or pair of doors with a large glass panel, recessed between display windows. A door that is mostly glass can leave little solid wood around the lock, so new hardware has to fit the existing mortise pocket or narrow stile rather than a standard residential bore. On a pair of doors, the inactive leaf and its top and bottom bolts matter as much as the lock on the active one.

Permits before visible changes

The guidelines list altering a storefront among the changes that can significantly affect a historic building, and they direct permit questions to the commission. Work inside a lock, such as a rekey or a repaired latch, usually leaves the storefront as it is; a different door, new exterior hardware or an added security door changes it, so ask the commission before ordering. This is general information, not legal advice.

Tenant and staff turnover

Storefront tenants change, and so do the people who hold keys. When a business moves into a Main Street or State Street space, keys from the previous tenant, the landlord, contractors and cleaners may still be out there. Lock rekeying at move-in, and again when an employee with keys leaves, keeps that list short.

Michigan Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Ann Arbor. For a commercial locksmith request, include:

• The address and whether the building is in a historic district.
• Each door involved: front entry, rear or service door, stock room, staff entrance.
• Whether the landlord controls the exterior locks.
• Who should hold keys after the work, and who should not.