Berlin vault door

wylk

I don’t often run across vault door images outside the US but this one popped up on eBay. The door looks like a Fichet Torino door in Milan with the large square glass inset. There is writing on the back but it’s in German; if possible, would somebody kindly translate it? The photo itself is clearly posed because the locking bolts are extended and the ramp is in place so the fellow would not be trying to close it.

For reference here is the other door, in Milan:

Huw Eastwood

The Berlin door you’ve shown looks like a Parma Antonio & Figli to me- thicker, with heavier steps and much heavier boltwork than on the Fichet Torinos.

wylk

I do agree the Berlin door is beefier than the Fichet Torinos and to my eyes the taper seems pretty steep which also suggests Parma. But the Parmas have a smaller rectangular pane in the middle while the Berlin door’s pane goes all the way to the outside edge, like the Fichets.

Here is an example of a Parma door:

The Berlin door seems to have elements of Parma (size and a steep taper) and Fichet (rectangular panel going all the way to the edge). And I think the Berlin ramp even looks like the Parma. So I’m not 100% convinced but now I’m leaning more towards agreeing that it’s a Parma.

wylk

A friend who teaches German thinks the text on the back of the photo looks more like Dutch, especially for 1929 when older-style script would have been used by Germans.

Tom Gordon

or Swedish..

wylk

At the start of this thread was an image of a vault door in Berlin. A little more research shows this was the Heydt bank which led to two more images –

The first image shows this is an “ADL ARNHEIM” door. The second image is clearly posed (as was the initial image posted in 2016), dialing two combination locks at once would be a neat trick. I think it’s sad the boltwork is covered and maybe a little unusual for 1929.

Huw Eastwood

Wylk, it’s actually ADE and not ADL, after the merger with rival company Ade, but they are probably more famous for their legendary quality under their earlier S J Arnheim badge.

Harrishawk

It is no Dutch!

jan

wylk

Huw, thanks for the clarification on ADE versus ADL. I noticed the two Es were different and came to the wrong conclusion. It seems to be historical, here is an ADE logo and a better picture of ADE Arnheim: