Opening a locked Vault

Jalexander

Im a development project manager. We have a 1930s Vault in our building. It’s in NYC - lower Manhattan. It’s been locked for 30 years. Would anyone on this website have a referral for some one who could come to the site and provide a quote to open it? Door is 7′ high by 4′ wide. Looking for a proffesional who has opened vaults beforel. We dont want to remove it - just open it and remove ability to lock it. My thought is that going through the adjacent wall would be cheaper.

wylk

I don’t know anyone to recommend but one approach is the Safe & Vault Technician’s Association (http://www.savta.org). Their web site includes a search function, http://www.savta.org/savta_tech.php which comes up with several possibilities.

David Hovey

With a picture of the door I can provide you my fee to open the door without damage. There are many types of vault construction and vault doors so I could not even begin to speculate. A full frontal view of the door and frame, and a clear close up of the dial/s will be sufficient.

It’s not always less expensive or easier to core the wall as opposed to drill the door. This link will take you to a discussion about the difference between coring the wall or drilling the door. http://www.antique-locks.com/showthread.php/3454-core-drilled-a-vault?highlight=coring+wall

If it’s a bank vault and future use of the vault maybe needed, in my opinion drilling the door will better preserve the value a vault brings to the building. There is also the possibility to open the door without coring the wall or drilling the door.

Jalexander

See attached - there is some kind of electronic box to the right not sure if this is an alarm or an electronic opener upgrade.

Arcade Al

That’s a rather nice door. Are the shaped handles wooden?

The electronics boxes are an alarm system, possibly for the whole building as well as the vault.

Jalexander

Handles are metal. I don’t think going through the door is the easy option. It’s like me fighting an elephant.

If we core through a wall and get inside can you easily open it from the inside? There are 20 other vaults similar to this one that are already open - the backs just look like clocks to me - do vaults typically have an easy way to let someone out - maybe this one is like the other ones - could you guys tell if there was a way to open the other ones from the inside if I posted pictures?

My facade contractor has the manpower - but doesn’t know what equipment to use to core through the wall. There is likely to be hardened rebar in the concrete of the wall. Anyone done this before - have advice?

Arcade Al

You have 20 other vault doors in the building? Wow!

What was it used for?

Please do post some pictures of the insides of the others.

Here is how to get into your vault, with a proven method that even your Grandpa could manage!
http://www.antique-locks.com/showthread.php/3841-Hatton-Gardens?highlight=Hatton

wylk

I see there are four locks. To me this suggests that manipulation might be a difficult option as you’d have to be successful with two of them, not just one? And does this mean that drilling would be required on two as well?

wylk

Jalexander wrote
do vaults typically have an easy way to let someone out - maybe this one is like the other ones - could you guys tell if there was a way to open the other ones from the inside if I posted pictures?

Pictures would help but in general no, I don’t believe there is or was an easy way to get out of a locked vault. The only general exception I know of is relatively modern fire-resistive doors that would not be used for money or other high-value items.

[unknown]

Paul Prescott

Have the combinations of some of the open doors been tried on this one ? Also it may be a silly question - are you sure it’s locked ? It could just be closed and ‘stuck’ some basic checks and examination by a skilled tech could resolve this quite easily.

wylk

If you don’t mind telling us, where in NYC is this building (address)?

David Hovey

Jalexander wrote
See attached - there is some kind of electronic box to the right not sure if this is an alarm or an electronic opener upgrade.

A unique door indeed. I’ve only seen one with quad comb locks in my 37 year carrier and it was erected for use as a securities vault. I have sent you a PM with my contact information if you would like a price to open that door.

[unknown]

Paul Prescott

A further thought - is there an emergency door ? Is it locked too ?

Jalexander

There are a lot of vaults.. included the ones that looked most similar. Don’t have time to shoot all of them.

Brian Smith

Nice! Looks like York / Diebold had a heyday in this place! Hope you get the job, David. I have never seen a four lock setup like this… I was at a bank once where four people had half of two combos though, (ugh!). The handles are Bakelite by the way.

Brian Smith

BTW, no, it is not a snap to open it from the inside :-)

Jalexander

Thanks to David Hovey for getting the safe open for us!

Brian Smith

Congrat’s David! I would be interested in how it played out.

00247

Brian Smith wrote
Congrat’s David! I would be interested in how it played out.

Oh yes! Play by play action please. Video if you have it but pictures will do.

[unknown]

David Hovey

This was a fun weekend trip for my girlfriend and I. A full day of work and two days of site seeing in NYC was exciting. The building was erected in the first part of the1930s to be the wall street headquarters of one of the largest financial institutions, which still survives today.

The sub levels where the vaults are located was excavated 40 feet below sea level out of solid rock. (Lets see the Brazilian Central Bank gold diggers tunnel into this one!) It is a magnificent building with many vaults and I enjoyed seeing the architectural banking history it has to offer.

The vault was erected by York Safe and Lock Co. and this securities door was quite large. As you can see it towers my 6 foot frame, guessing the small top section of the architrave at over 10 feet. The 4 vault locks were set on dual custody requiring one lock from the top set and one lock from the bottom set to be unlocked before the door would swing.

All combinations were 4 number. The top set combinations were the same. The bottom set combinations were the same. The top and bottom sets were different, providing full redundant true dual custody.

The door was manufactured with 3 edge sections and each step was 7 inches thick, adding the 2 inch lock mounting plate equaled 23 inches from door face to comb lock. As it took me 3-½ hours to put a hole in it, I was very lucky in the fact that I only needed to drill one hole to unlock the door. As they say it’s better to be lucky than good.