We’ve been going back and forth on whether to get new ironwork cast for the stoop or buy old stuff and restore it. Unfortunately we’ve put it off so long there isn’t time for new any more (the lead time is months, not weeks). So yesterday we went to Demolition Depot and got 11 balusters…

The ones with peeling yellow paint are an exact match to what was on our house. The brown ones are the same except in one little detail.

Turns out Demolition Depot also has a newel post that’s very similar to the ones originally on our house. This is what ours looked liked…

We know from looking at our older, cousin townhouses on 127th, that ours probably had a finial at the top which was missing by 1940…

Now compare those to what Demolition Depot has…

Not exactly the same, but very similar. Problem is, it’s not for sale – they’ll only rent it out for castings (@ $2,500/week!!!) Still, I’d LOVE to have a reproduction of something that’s even close to what was there originally – though we may just settle for masonry/stucco newel posts.

What we absolutely need to find are railings. We have most of one side, but the top of one side and all of the other side are missing. If anyone knows where we might find railing, please let me know – jay@beatingupwind.com