Ellison Bronze Custom Balanced Doors Deliver Durability to Award-Winning Monterey Bay Aquarium

FALCONER, NY… The recognition that Monterey Bay Aquarium recently received from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) serves as a reminder of the time-tested durability of Ellison Bronze custom balanced doors, even in extremely harsh environments.The AIA bestowed its Twenty-Five Year Award to the aquarium.

The award is given each year to a precedent-setting “project that has stood the test of time for 25-35 years and continues to set standards of excellence for its architectural design and significance.

Comments from the awards jury included, “a benchmark and role model for aquariums everywhere.”

Opened in 1984, the aquarium was built over the bay itself, literally participating in the natural ecosystem it showcases – pumping in unfiltered seawater that fills some of its exhibit tanks, as one example. The aquarium receives about 2 million visitors a year.

In 2002, (Ellison job #9554), the aquarium installed two pairs of Ellison Bronze custom balanced doors made of extruded aluminum painted black, with stainless steel tie rod construction and panic exit devices. In 2004, (Ellison job #9748), nine more of the same doors were installed. The aquarium first purchased Ellison Bronze doors to replace previous doors with swing components made of aluminum and steel – materials that at the aquarium would wear out after only three to four months.

“The original four Ellison doors are still in place and working, in good condition but with some ongoing maintenance,” says Master Crafts Worker Jurek Zawadzki of Monterey Bay Aquarium.

“Given the corrosive effects of salt water and the heavy traffic at this site, preventative maintenance is to be expected,” says Mark Graves, President, Ellison Bronze, Inc. “This project is a great testament to the longevity of Ellison Bronze doors.”

The four Ellison doors installed in 2002 are large size: 48” wide x 129” high each. These doors have durable balanced hardware with most of the door components made of solid bronze to withstand the corrosive surroundings of an oceanfront location fronting. The additional nine installed in 2004 were slightly smaller, measuring 44” wide x 107” high each.

Unlike conventional entry doors, an Ellison aluminum door is constructed from heavy wall extrusions that are made solely for Ellison and specifically designed to work in conjunction with their balanced hardware system. The door leaf’s horizontal top and bottom rails are attached to the vertical stiles using both welded and bolted connections with additional stainless steel tie rods at horizontal rails, yielding an extremely durable and long lasting entrance.

About 100 miles up the coast, there is another oceanfront science project involving Ellison Bronze extruded aluminum custom balanced doors: the San Francisco Exploratorium. Here’s what Rick Feldman, AIA, LEED BD+C, project manager and associate principal at EHDD had to say about the Exploratorium: “With the museum located directly on the waterfront, we needed a door system that could stand up to heavy traffic in a corrosive marine environment.”

About Ellison: Ellison Bronze, Inc., located in Falconer, NY, invented the balanced door in 1927. Today, Ellison leads the industry by providing custom marquee doors to the world’s most famous addresses. Made with the highest quality materials and unparalleled craftsmanship, Ellison doors are the standard to which all other commercial entry doors are compared the world over. Ellison also provides superior customer service by maintaining every record and drawing it has produced, and offers replacement balanced hardware for every door it has ever made. For more information, visit www.ellisonbronze.com.