Some of you may remember the blog post below, which I first published in 2011. Time flies! When I visited Greenwich Lock & Safe and met locksmith and artist Phil Mortillaro, he told me that there was a documentary in progress about him. The documentary is now available on PBS.org!
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I took the Acela train to New York City this morning, so I could attend the dinner cruise for the Door Security & Safety Foundation tonight (a great time!). Last night when I was packing for the trip, my 5-year-old daughter said, “I don’t want you to go to New York. There are bad men there.” When I asked where she had heard about these “bad men”, she said, “I saw them on the movie, Home Alone!” 🙂
A few months ago, several people sent me a link to a blog post about a locksmith shop in NYC. Since I had a couple of free hours this afternoon I decided to go see it in person. Greenwich Lock & Safe is not your typical lock shop…it’s the smallest freestanding building in all of Manhattan, and it’s a work of art. The entire facade of the building is covered with keys. It’s amazing!! I spoke to the owner and artist, Philip Mortillaro, and he estimates that there are about 20,000 keys. I know I’m abnormally partial to hardware, but this shop is really beautiful. Philip told me that there is a documentary in progress about his locksmith business and his art – it’s called Do Not Duplicate, and you can watch the trailer on Philip’s website – www.philipmortillaro.com.
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I’ve noticed a lot of us locksmiths are a bit wacky and creative. I love that guy’s work and the documentary film sounds like it will be very interesting. I hope it will be available on DVD after it airs because I have no TV or cable/satelite.
I’m a little jealous that you got to visit Greenwich Lock & Safe! Don’t know when I’ll get to NYC again, but I will also make time to see this shop! Thanks for posting info about documentary…I’m looking forward to seeing it. kbf
Wow!!!
Great idea of what to do with old keys, huh?
Thought the door & chair were time consuming.
Then saw the building facade!!!
Holy Cow!!!
I just heard from Phil. He says the documentary will be out on DVD and he will let us know when on his facebook page. I’ll let you know when I see the details.
The 30 minute documentary is streaming online for free on PBS.
Phil has some pretty salty language so you are warned if that bothers you.
I got a notification about that! Salty language doesn’t bother me but I will watch it and see if would be a problem for me to post a link on iDH. It’s on PBS so it doesn’t seem like it could be that bad, but I’m not sure what Allegion’s rules are on that.
– Lori
Great film. I love New York guys who work with their hands. Salty talk is a way of life.
Wonder if he needs keys. I know locksmiths who have buckets full. Brass or aluminum, both?
Wow…the Iron Throne doesn’t hold a candle to The Chair of Keys 🙂
In NY, the “F” word is an all-purpose part of regular communication.
It can be a Noun, Verb, Adverb, Adjective, and Modifier all in one.
What a fascinating story about Philip Mortillaro and Greenwich Lock & Safe! At Alpha Locks and Safe, we share your admiration for the artistry and precision in locksmithing. Philip’s dedication and creativity are truly inspiring. If you’re ever in Westchester County, NY, and need locksmith services with the same level of passion and expertise, visit our website at https://alphalockandsafe.com/ or call 929-367-6689. Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece of locksmith history, Lori!
I love this story too! 🙂
– Lori