Carrere & Hastings designed a  1909 townhouse at 69 East 79th Street (NYC)
for George Rives, now occupied by the Greek consulate.  The Consul General
has just finished cleaning the limestone facade and installing new/old white
windows.  But, on the stoop, he pointing to the anciently-patinaed bronze
doors (also 1909) and said "Do I clean them, like we cleaned the facade?
Then they'll just look new."

He had three test areas:
1.  completely refinished to look nearly black
2.   completely refinished to look bright
3.   slightly polished, to yield some highlights, but leaving mostly deeper
"bronze" color on the low points
4.    untouched, which mixes the deep green patina with salt spray and
accumulated crud

Then he pointed to the small area which people push to get into the building,
rubbed smooth, with that red tint that is native to old bronze.  He pointed
to that area and said "That, that's what I want - but how can I get that?"

What should I have told him?

Christopher Gray