Commercial Locksmith in Alexandria, VA

Alexandria's commercial doors

The Alexandria Historic District's commercial area centers on the corner of South Washington and King streets, and the district takes in factory buildings on the formerly active waterfront, including the former Ford Plant designed by Albert Kahn. Business doors here vary widely:

• Storefronts. The city's door guidelines say metal and frameless glass storefront systems may be appropriate on the ground floor of some buildings. Aluminum storefront doors commonly take a narrow-stile deadlock with a mortise cylinder, while frameless glass doors lock at the bottom rail or into the floor.
• Shops with upstairs offices. One building can have a storefront, a rear service door and an upstairs entry, each on a different key.
• Former industrial buildings. Where a large building is divided among tenants, sort out early who controls the shared entrances and who controls each suite.

Under the city's Old and Historic District door guidelines, door hardware and single-lite, clear-glass storm doors need no review by the Board of Architectural Review, while a storm door with decorative elements or security bars goes to the board, and staff review the replacement of non-historic doors and their frames and trim. This is general information, not legal advice.

Turnover and keys

Staff and tenants change, and keys do not always come back. Common fixes:

• Rekey when an employee leaves without returning a key, or when a new tenant takes over a suite.
• A master key system lets managers open every door while staff keys open only their own areas.
• A restricted keyway limits who can copy a key. A "do not duplicate" stamp is only a request.
• Keep a written log of who holds which key and collect keys on the last day.

In a leased space, read the lease before changing locks; the landlord may need a key to every suite.

Details for a business request

Name the block and nearest cross street, the door types (aluminum storefront, glass, steel or wood), the number of doors and key holders, whether the building is in the Old and Historic District, whether you own or lease, and when work can happen without disrupting customers. For a key-only change, see lock rekeying.