1931(?) Bank Vault Door

[GregM]

I own an old bank building built around 1885 that has a bank vault on the first floor and a 15,000# Corliss safe in the basement. Both are missing components which I'd like to try to replace, at least for display purposes.

I don't know much about the history of the bank or modifications/upgrades to the vault and safe(s). However, I do have an article that documents that the Dillinger gang came into town one evening in 1931, blew the vault door, and blew a small safe inside. (Apparently Dillinger was in jail at the time and they were looking for money to get him out!) The vault is now used as a walk-in closet. It had a lot of pock marks in the walls!

I suspect that the vault door was repaired or replaced after that (about 1931) and the Corliss probably acquired. There is evidence that the first floor joists were cut and the Corliss dropped down into the basement.

If you look at the back of the vault door, you will see that the locking components have been removed and are now missing. It looks like there were a series of metal bars with holes around the perimeter of the door and the center. The circular holes and spacers in the upper part of the door look like they might have held gears, and the upper square bars with the two holes look like they might have held the lower end of the locking bars, which probably meshed with the gears mentioned.

I'd like to learn who the manufacturer of this door was. I haven't started attempting to remove the white paint to see what lettering might be underneath.

I'd also like to fabricate the missing pieces, to the extent possible, if I can determine what the original design was. Fabricating with 3D printing is an option. This value door will never be used as a vault and would not be particularly secure anyway, so 3D printed parts would be fine.

You can also see that there were pins to hang an internal 'day' door made of bars, about a foot back from the main vault door.

Would appreciate any information on the manufacturer and the design of the mechanism for this door.

The Corliss has been discussed previously on this web site. If you happen to know of parts to make the Corliss whole again, or of another Corliss that I could use to measure the original parts to 3D print them, I'd be most appreciative.