Historic Preservation Steel Windows & Doors
Built with Ottostumm and Jansen steel profiles. Hot-rolled steel for landmark, civic and period buildings.
Preservation Brief 13 and 36 CFR 67.7(b)(6) both place repair ahead of replacement. Part 67 governs certification for the federal historic tax credit, and local commissions generally apply the same Secretary of the Interior's Standards, so the hierarchy holds on most landmark reviews.
Replacement becomes defensible under two conditions: deterioration severe enough that repair is no longer possible, or sections to repair with that can no longer be sourced. Each opening is assessed on its own, so most buildings carry both scopes at once.
| Condition at the opening | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Light to moderate corrosion, sections sound | Repair. A replacement submittal is unlikely to clear review |
| Bowing or racking with sound metal | Repair. Brief 13 covers straightening with applied pressure and heat |
| Heavy corrosion with section loss or perforation | Replacement defensible for the affected units |
| Matching sections or hardware no longer available | Replacement defensible even where deterioration is moderate |
| Unit individually significant or contributing to a significant facade | Replacement in kind |
| Unit not character-defining | A compatible new window is generally acceptable |
| Condition not yet surveyed | Survey first. Submittals without one are commonly returned. More on window surveys below |
PINKYS manufactures replacement windows and does not carry out restoration. Openings on the repair side of the table need a steel window restoration specialist.
Matching Original Fenestration
Where replacement is justified, 36 CFR 67.7(b)(6) requires the new feature to match the old in design, color, texture and other visual qualities, and where possible materials, with missing features substantiated by documentary, physical or pictorial evidence. Preservation Brief 13 sets out the attributes to duplicate, and PINKYS drafts against each one.
| Attribute | How Studio Steel handles it |
|---|---|
| Material | Hot-rolled steel where the original was hot-rolled |
| Configuration | Drafted to the recorded operating type and arrangement of fixed and operable lites |
| Number and size of panes | Divided-lite grid matched to the documented pattern, true or simulated |
| Profile and proportion of metal sections | Frame and muntin geometry drawn to the surviving originals |
| Operability | Hinge, pivot and hardware selected to the original operation |
| Color | Applied at topcoat, confirmed against a physical sample. |
| Reflective quality of the glass | Glazing selected on how it reads, alongside thermal and safety requirements |
TDL vs SDL: Which of true or simulated divided lite clears review varies by jurisdiction and by the significance of the opening. The PINKYS Studio Steel team confirms that with the project's preservation consultant before drawings are issued.
Original steel windows were hot-rolled, and hot rolling leaves a surface character a cold-formed profile does not reproduce. Ottostumm W20 and W40 are hot-rolled solid steel, made by the same process as the originals: W20 carries the finest period profile, and W40 larger openings and heavier glazing. Together they carry most restoration work.
A thermal break requires cold-formed steel, so on a designated building under a current energy code there is a choice to make. Where the building qualifies for an alternative compliance path, hot-rolled W20 or W40 is the closer match, as at Signal Hill City Hall. Where a prescriptive target applies, Ottostumm W50 TB carries the same FerroFinestra design and W40 sightlines on a cold-formed, thermally broken profile, and Jansen Janisol Arte 2.0 is an alternative where it suits the application. One design across the range keeps sightlines consistent between energy-governed exteriors and interior partitions.
Raise the choice with the review body during design. Material authenticity is theirs to rule on, and 36 CFR 67.7(c) treats energy-driven work that damages historic fabric as grounds for denial.
A window survey comes first. The project's historical architect grades each opening on corrosion, distortion, glazing and hardware condition, and on whether matching sections can still be sourced, and 36 CFR 67.6(a)(1) names the survey as documentation reviewing officials may require. PINKYS supports that work with profile data, glazing capacities and section documentation, so each opening is assessed against what can actually be built.
The survey also prices the job, since what sits behind the frame is usually the largest unknown on a historic project.
Review bodies want to see the window before it exists. PINKYS produces architecturally detailed CAD drawings for every opening and carries them through a formal submittal: issued for review, revised against comments, and reissued approved for fabrication, with profile documentation, finish specification and product data alongside. Under 36 CFR 67.7(e), approval from a local commission does not guarantee federal certification, so build both reviews into the program early.
Signal Hill City Hall has stood on the same site since 1934. When the City planned its renovation, the community asked that the building be preserved as it stood, and a historical architectural consultant was retained to replace the windows without changing its appearance.
PINKYS built the replacement windows in hot-rolled Ottostumm W40, with dual-pane glazing. A historical restoration contractor installed the windows, and City Hall reopened on April 16, 2026.
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