Although Tallinn is known for its authentic medieval architecture,the closer to details we delve, to view the medieval buildings fromthe perspective of particulars, or the history of things, following themethod of its apologist Ivan Gaskell, and take one concrete artefact asa starting point and basis, the more variegated the picture becomes.The portal of the medieval building in Pikk Street 7 contains someof the more interesting restoration questions. This article here looks atthe story of the restoration of a Gothic portal of a medieval residencein Tallinn. When we stand on Pikk Street today and take a cursorylook at the portal of the house number 7, with the masonry windowson either side of it, it may seem that this medieval portal ensemble
 has survived as well as the one in Vene 17 in Tallinn. However, theportal of Pikk 7 has been chosen as the subject of this article because itcontains one of the most interesting and well-documented restorationstories of a medieval Gothic portal in Tallinn Old Town. How did ithappen that these two leave a similar impression?The article submits that the residence at Pikk 7 is indeed partiallypart of the medieval stonemasonry tradition of Tallinn, but certainlyto a lesser extent than the portal of Vene 17, which has survived in itsoriginal shape and place and has not been demolished and restored.The perspective portal of Pikk 7 is medieval to the same extent asit is from the 20th century and adds to the restoration history ofTallinn as much as to the studies of the medieval architecture ofTallinn. The Middle Ages have been the main target era and Gothicthe main target style of the restoration of the building at Pikk 7 – theend results have been aimed at the dominance of those. However, itwas decided not to restore the high gable with the blind niches thatcharacterise the medieval residences of Tallinn.To conclude, a fitting thought from Juhan Maiste, ‘Every singlething has a double meaning which tells us of the people to whomthose things once used to belong, but also of those who have cleanedand restored them, brought them, whether in their natural form oras a verbal text, back into the light.’ (Juhan Maiste, “Arvustus: Tagasi asjade juurde. Raimo Pullat. Tallinlase asjademaailmvalgustussajandil”, Akadeemia, 9 (2017), 1694.)The article is based on official restoration documentation,restoration critique in the press, and personal work memoirs ofrestorer Aarne Joonsaar.