Photo: Bill Elliott

LCN is celebrating 100 years since the launch of Norton-Lasier  Company  in 1926 and the introduction of door closers under the “LCN” trademark.  The year 2027 will mark another significant milestone, the 150th anniversary since the origin of Lewis C. Norton’s first door check— later known as a closer — concept developed in 1877.

2026 marks a milestone anniversary for LCN, as we celebrate an entire century since the brand was founded and the first door closer was stamped with those three letters.

Building on its legacy, LCN has created a durable, precision-focused and trustworthy name over the last 100 years by continually innovating and elevating its product portfolio, performance and customer experience.

It all started with Lewis C. Norton, a carpenter tasked with finding a solution for noisy doors. Read on to learn about how he built the legacy LCN brand on curiosity and trial-and-error.

Inventing the right solution  

Lewis was an apprentice for a building contractor who was sent to assist in the building of Trinity Church in Boston, Massachusetts. According to longstanding industry accounts, once construction was complete, Rev. Phillips Brooks and his congregation quickly discovered a flaw. In a location subject to high winds, Trinity Church’s swinging doors would slam close with a bang, disrupting the service.  Rev. Phillips tasked Lewis with solving the problem.

After significant trial-and-error testing with double-spring hinges, rubber stops, weather strips and lining door frames with rubber, nothing seemed to work. In frustration, Lewis threw his overalls and tools into a closet at the church and tried to slam the door. However, instead of slamming, Lewis discovered that the quick action of closing the door created a pocket of air that prevented it.  It was this act, according to the company’s history, that got him thinking about this problem in a new way.

To confine air and simulate this air pocket, Lewis got to work creating a prototype and testing. Satisfied with his creation, Lewis had the prototype built, becoming one of the earliest “door checks” and quieting the loud swinging doors at Trinity Church.

Founding LCN   

After his initial success, Lewis formed a company to manufacture his invention in Boston, Massachusetts: Norton Door Check and Spring Company.

However, competition in the new door closer industry became fierce. In 1903, Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co. (at the time, a large company in the industry) bought Norton Door Check and Spring Company. Operations and production of Norton door checks were integrated into Yale’s broader manufacturing organization and eventually moved from Boston to Chicago, Illinois. Lewis remained an employee of  Yale.

According to company history, by the 1920s, Lewis hired a bookkeeper named David R. Lasier, who was interested in teaming up with Lewis to create a new line of products. In the mid-1920s, the two began discussing the development of an improved version of the Norton door checks. This line of products would address weak places in the original Norton door checks, make improvements to the shaft and packing as well as ensure it was leakproof.

Lewis and David formed Norton -Lasier  Company, under the trademark of LCN.

By the end of 1926, LCN had produced its first door closer under the trademark and began shipping products across the world. Later in 1949, a pilot facility for LCN was built in Princeton, Illinois, and production moved from Chicago by the end of 1950.

There, the LCN facility and production have remained, continuing to build on the legacy Lewis started.

Continuing to innovate   

Since 1926, LCN has specialized in solving door control problems and improving accessibility by developing high quality, innovative products and solutions. LCN pioneered the low-energy door operator market in the 1970s, releasing an “equalizer” that helped expand the company’s presence in the accessibility market.

In  the 1980s, LCN expanded its automatic operator offerings with products such as the “auto equalizer” low-energy operator, demonstrating a commitment to automatic solutions.

Today, LCN offers a complete line of door control products, including heavy duty, hydraulic closers, automatic operators, fire and life safety closers and holders, high security closers and more — a mix of traditional LCN products of the past and modern technology, including the enhanced Senior Swing, which uses award-winning smart technology.

Marking more than a century of leadership in door controls, LCN remains true to the principles that defined Lewis C. Norton’s original invention — curiosity, rigorous testing and engineering excellence. LCN’s products continue to evolve and set industry standards, adapting to modern technology and meeting safety, security and accessibility needs.

You can read more in this 3-part series written in 1937 by L.C. Norton himself, and check out the whole story of The Rector Wanted it Quiet!

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