Flagler College seeks glass security door at landmark rotunda; board limits finish and hardware

Flagler College won board approval on July 16 to install a glass entry system in the breezeway archway of the Ponce de Leon rotunda, a National Historic Landmark, after a lengthy staff presentation and discussion with college representatives.

Staff told the board the proposed glazed entry uses metal framing and laminated glass intended to balance security needs with preservation standards; the report noted doors on pre‑1821 structures are typically wood and cautioned that modern metal storefront systems "are considered inappropriate" unless carefully detailed and minimally visible. The college’s representative said the change was driven by safety and climate-control concerns and emphasized the desire to keep the rotunda visible: "The Ponce is open to the public," the representative said, adding the breezeway entrance serves students, faculty and visitors and must be securable for after-hours access.

Board members pressed the applicant on three technical points: exactly how the new frame will fasten to the historic masonry, how panic hardware and a card reader would be integrated without harming the fabric, and whether a painted finish could match existing adjacent doors. The applicant said the card reader would be small, mounted to the metal framing rather than the masonry, and that IFACs (an international fine arts conservator cited by the applicant) could provide an acceptable wood-grain finish and color match.

After discussion, the board approved the certificate of appropriateness with conditions that address the hardware and finish: the college must provide final hardware details and a sample of the finish (the board favored a Flagler/"Ponce" yellow or similar factory finish rather than a simulated wood grain), the applicant must adjust mullion thickness to maintain visual openness where feasible, and staff may perform a final administrative review of the detailed drawings and samples before a building permit is issued.

The board’s vote was unanimous. The approval is limited to the design presented and to the conditions recorded by staff; the college will return to staff with the final hardware and finish samples for review.