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TOPEKA -- Virtually every day for the last four months, Corey Bishop, a foundryman who molds metal into art, has walked out the door of his home to work on the door of his dreams.

Made of solid bronze, it is twice as tall as basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. At more than 3 tons, it outweighs a standard Cadillac by more than 2,000 pounds. National art history experts say the 15-foot-tall portal is one of the largest bronze doors anyone has made since the 15th century.

"People just don't get it," Bishop, 27, said. "They think it's just a door. But when they see it, their jaws just hit the floor."

For Bishop, the enormous entryway is more than just a door. It is a doorway to a different culture. This week, it will take him to him to Saudi Arabia, to the banks of the Red Sea, to the home of a billionaire.

Bishop and about 20 co-workers at Deggingers' Foundry handcrafted the door at the billionaire's request. The door should arrive in Saudi Arabia today, and Bishop and project manager Janet Zoble will be on hand this week to supervise its installation in a 45,000-square-foot villa.

The double door is more than just huge, its makers say. It also is remarkable for its ingenious engineering and intricate artistry. Although the door tips the scales at 6,750 pounds, it can be opened with the push of a single finger.

Its raised design is based on a pattern found on doors in ancient Arabic temples. Its soaring archway features 31 windows, 62 panes of glass, special hinges to hold the weight and "mechanical actuators" that cause it to slow when it closes.

"We have the actuators in there to prevent the door from being slammed," said Mike Davis, the foundry's contract administrator. "Because if you have it slam on a small child, you're talking a possible amputation."

So how much does such a door cost?

No one is saying exactly. The best Zoble can do is give a hint.

"It's less than a half-million," she said in a voice that seemed to say "not much less."

One thing is clear: The door's birthplace couldn't be more different from its destination. As he worked on the door, Bishop wore dirty blue jeans, a red plaid shirt, green stocking cap, work boots and a two-day beard.

The century-old foundry at which he works is located on Northwest Crane Street in a gritty industrial area of downtown Topeka. The original brown-brick foundry sits in the shadow of a highway overpass, sandwiched between an old gas station and a police impound lot. At midday, dogs bark as smoke billows from industrial plants and huge trucks rumble by, kicking up dust and blowing litter flat against wire fences.

Last week, the door was taken from the dust of Crane Street and flown to the heart of Saudi opulence. The billionaire's villa features 162 hand-carved marble columns, each 16 feet tall. Italian artisans carved a stone fountain outside the house. A French muralist decorated the walls inside. A rounded corner of one room features a 5,000-gallon aquarium.

And the focal point of the whole place?

The door from Topeka.

The villa's designer chose the Topeka foundry because of its ability to handcraft unique and challenging ornamental metal designs. The company made the bronze statue of home-run slugger Josh Gibson for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and the statue of University of Kansas basketball coach Phog Allen outside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. In addition, it has done extensive bronze work for New York, New York, a large hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

In accordance with Saudi custom, the door's buyer does not wish to reveal her identity, the foundry staff said. She reportedly is the widow of a Saudi rug dealer and entrepreneur. She owns several houses in Saudi Arabia, England and France. In addition, she is said to have significant stakes in nearly two dozen multinational corporations.

The door now is poised to join some of the most impressive bronze doors of all time.

"One of the most notable bronze doors in the world was done for the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence, Italy," Zoble said. "Lorenzo Ghiberti started the door in 1425 and finished it in 1452. The Ghiberti door -- also 15 feet tall -- is notable in part for its size, but also for its beauty." Of Bishop's door, Zoble said, "This certainly will rank as one of the largest and most beautiful bronze doors in the world."

The door will not be shiny. When finished, it will have an "acid patination" that will pull the bright bronze to a soft brown. No sealants or lacquers will be used.

"The owner appreciates the look of antiquity," Zoble said. "The copper surface is going to be allowed to oxidize and turn green. It's the same thing you see on copper domes on capitol buildings."

Bishop is proud of the project. Still, some people aren't impressed when he tells them he's working on a door.

Until they see it.

Topeka police officer Larry Falley can attest to that. Recently, he stopped his patrol car along Crane Street to look at the door, which was being worked on outside the foundry.

"I'd never seen anything like it before," Falley said. "It's incredible. ...I was trying to figure out what building here it was going to go into. But then I thought "there's nothing in town that could go into. There's no way."

To reach James A. Fussell, features reporter, call (816) 234-4460 or send e-mail to [email protected].