A centered door knob is just a silly idea IMHO.

A centered door knocker or twist bell, yes...but a centered lever handled knob like this WOULD look silly on an old house.

Hi,
I had misplaced this link; according to Yale lock mfg.co., they sell locksets up to a 42" backset!!
Casey

Here is a link that might be useful: Yale

Silly or not, centered doorknobs were placed on Deco and Mid Century Modern houses, particularly on the entry doors, and finding a replacement for one in an Existing Door is very difficult. I was referring to the knob, not the lever.

It would look pretty stupid on your woodgrained fiberglass door with the "Victorian" brass caming, and beveled glass from Home Depot, yes. This post wasn't meant for you.

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So hideous and stupid, right? 8-l

{{!gwi}}

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So hideous and stupid, right? 8-l

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{{!gwi}}

Since you didn't specify the type of house, we offered our opinions...and we are right in that it would look silly on a truly old house.

Your assumption that we have big box fake doors with fake leaded glass is insulting, which we weren't being--my door is oak with bevelled glass, and my transom and sidelight are turn of the century true stained glass--all original to my house.

My personal opinion is that houses built in the '50s and later should be in the general repair forums, not 'Old House' ones--there has to be a cut-off date somewhere, or today's plastic box houses will be considered antiques! :)

MCM means mid-century modern so I did specify. These are 60+ years old. By your criteria, your turn of the century house was too new and worthless of restoration in 1970. That's why so many of them got messed up, your mentality. The house I live in is 1838, so maybe I think yours is "too new."

Some pre-Civil War houses in my neighborhood have centered door knobs as in the last picture above.

To pipe in and say that a source is "silly" or wrong, particularly when it was being advocated at a historical replacement--not a change-- is kind of insulting.

And since you didn't recognize MCM as a specification or the fact that 19th century houses sometimes had center knobs, to base an opinion on such a limited outlook isn't very valid opinion. IMHO. After all, there are still people of the opinion the earth is flat.

Mid-century modern is generally considered to be mid 20th century (33-65) so 19th century examples are irrelevant. Those years were when "modern" designers believed that form should follow function and a centered door knob to me is an example of style at the expense of function. There are good and bad examples of old houses throughout the ages.

I should nave said they were a poor example of MCM design instead of silly. Sorry if I offended you. Your information is appreciated.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gropius MCM door hardware

I agree that as a matter of physics, the centered door knob is not a good idea since they provide poor leverage. The mechanisms are also more prone to malfunction.

If they worked better they would still be used and they would still be available more readily:)

That said, I wanted to provide a source for people who had doors with centered knobs or wanted to restore their door to that condition.

Casey:

What would a 42" backset be used for? A seven foot door (84") is garage door sized?

I was thinking a funhouse door with the knob on the hinge side. Otherwise, it is rather odd and useless, but that never stopped anyone from building anything!
Casey

Palimpsest, where to start?

I momentarily forgot mcm standing for mid-century modern and took it for a brand or series abbreviation...but then, I didn't grow up or get hooked on texting or cell phones, so I seldom use non-standard abbreviations. My mistake there.

There should indeed be a cut-off date for this forum, otherwise we will be swamped with questions on how to swap out toilets installed in 90s era houses. As most people know, car collectors and their organizations instituted dates for their cars, and anything past that date is not allowed official listing...people go to classic car shows to see truly old cars, not a 1985 Toyota. By the same token, similar policies need to be used here...I'd say 1960-65 could be a valid date for ending 'old' listings...since the actual construction after that time is essentially modern, no matter what decorative elements are used.

And, by the way, restoration, rather than remodelling, began in a major way in the late 70s...and techniques and information were scarcer than they are today. Whether a house is too 'new' to be considered worthy of restoration isn't the issue--my house has all original features, while my neighbor (who bought from the original owners) had her house thoroughly modernized by them.

I did not say center knobs were unknown...and my experience with old houses in person and in period plan and detail books is extensive...but you should know that that particular element is more typically English or European than American.

Note also, that I have not personally attacked or demeaned you...I wish I could say the same applied to me.

You are right, I should not have attacked you.

But posting a negative response based upon a lack of understanding of what the post means or because you aren't particularly familiar with the context, or agree with the definition of "old" kinda p----s me off.

If you don't understand what the OP means, ask for clarification. Mine was a post directing people to a source for extended backsets, not my value judgment of center knobs.

I have plenty of opinions about houses and what I think is worthwhile, but if I don't feel like my opinion is informed, I generally keep it to myself.

Contributors to online forums are largely self-selected for the inability to keep their opinions to themselves. It's the price you pay for the useful stuff.