Residential Beauties

Throughout New England’s incredible housing stock from the late 1800s and early 1900s, there are stunning examples of large-scale, decorative stained glass windows that are almost too precious to grace a regular home. In fact, most were installed by prominent citizens to ensure that they were NOT thought of as regular homes. We’ve had the opportunity to work on two amazing windows of late; one from a house in Swampscott, MA. Another from Portland, ME.  

The Swampscott window required a full relead. After removal, we brought them back to the studio to disassemble, clean and completely relead the three main panels. They were then puttied and back in place, ready for the next hundred years in their historic home. 

In the case of the Portland window, the strength and condition of the original lead was good enough that we were able to conduct a partial restoration, rather than fully disassembling and releading. We replaced broken pieces, rebuilt the border, reputtied the panels, and restored the original sash to bolster the window’s strength for years to come.

Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook ME

Completed in Fall of 2020, this project was a collaboration with our colleagues at Bagala Window Works. For our portion, we restored all 27 of the stained glass panels. Some to the panels only required deflection repair and perimeter lead replacement, while others required complete disassembly and rebuilding. It was particularly fun to work on the curved opalescent panels. Marc and his crew at BWW took care of all the sash restoration as well as the removal and installation.

First Baptist, Manchester NH

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The First Baptist Church in Manchester, NH asked us to restore two windows from their main entrances. These windows are special; built as complex wooden sashes with smaller inset stained glass circles and panels. They were in rough shape when we got to them, suffering from lead issues and failed previous repair attempts.

Once disassembled, it became clear that we were going to need all the tricks up our sleeves. Smaller cracks in the “1871 Panel” were repaired using traditional methods; through leads and copper foil. Other glass pieces were damaged beyond repair and required us to replicate them.

For the letters, that meant acid-etching their contour into red-flashed glass. Next we applied silver stain to create the background pattern. Lastly, we kiln-fired these and other handpainted pieces to set the stain. With a little trial and error in the process, the new pieces fit right in with their 150-year old counterparts.

It was great having these large sashes on the bench, and getting to geek out on how they were made. The interior was never painted which meant the the joinery is easily visible. We loved discovering the math and planning that went into every detail — like how the “1871” window fits perfectly within the arch of the “Baptist Church” window. Patrick matched the glazing to the wood by blending @Sarco putty with @mixolusa Universal Tints, but otherwise, the sash was in excellent condition and we left it pretty much untouched.

The installation went smoothly, as we had hoped. And the windows are already welcoming parishioners.

Leaded Glass of late

We thought we’d highlight some of our favorite leaded glass projects from the past year: In the spring we restored an elegantly designed set of sidelites and a transom window from a home in Brookline, MA.

All had been damaged extensively in the course of a remodeling project, but there was enough left for us to work with. We replaced broken glass and releaded the entire windows.

By creating silicone molds of the original lead medallions, we were able to fabricate and replace the missing lead medallions.

We then glazed them into replacement sashes, beautifully made by Michael Wise of Woodworks, and now the original artistry of this lovely entryway has been restored.

Another project, in collaboration with our colleagues at Window Women of NE, was the restoration of fourteen leaded windows from a home in Newton, MA.

Most of them were incredibly heavy panels made of 3/8” thick bevels and colonial lead. We were able to repair the damaged lead by carefully stripping away the paint.

The remaining windows, which included a large porch transom, were badly damaged and needed to be completely releaded. In fact, there were only ten pieces of glass that had NOT been broken.

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In the end, we restored the transom and created two additional windows that were lost under previous ownership.

Expanding our Studio

We had some unique opportunities come our way last year that enabled us to improve and expand our studio. Our dear friend and colleague Michael Willard, of Stained Glass Works, operated his business out of 4 different locations in the Boston area for over 20 years. While specializing in stained glass restoration, he also took commissions and ran a retail shop for many years. Tom worked for him part-time over those years, in support of large projects, and came to know a great deal about his collection of glass.

When Michael decided to enter partial retirement and move to St. Louis, he offered to sell us the entire contents of his studio. We all agree the timing was perfect — his desire to downsize came at the same time we wanted to grow. We benefitted from his years of collecting, and feel grateful to be in possession of such treasures. As a result, our library of mouth blown glass has grown tenfold and we can solve the majority of our replacement glass needs from within our own inventory. On top of that, we now have our own kiln for firing glass which affords us a lot more freedom in the restoration process.

B3: We love our studio in the Button Factory and feel grateful for the community around us. First-floor spaces rarely become available, but in the spring of 2020, one became available in the back alley. We got the keys in early March, just as COVID was entering the scene. We had no idea then what a bonus it would be for us. The place was in rough shape, and the electrical would need to be updated in order to fire our new kiln. Our good friends at Bower Electric sorted out the wires, and after many hours (and hours) of cleaning and painting, the space was ready. Not only has it provided a completely separate and safe workspace for COVID times, it is now a fully functioning auxiliary shop for us. We do all of our deglazing, paint stripping and sanding here in a lead safe manner. Plus, as anyone who works in a shop can appreciate, we got a whole bunch more storage space in the deal. Lucky us!

Union Chapel Update

Over the last year, we’ve had the pleasure of restoring the stained glass windows from Union Chapel. (See previous post here.) As this project nears completion, we’re taking a look back on our work. 

One of our first tasks was to repair the deflection of the Connick panels. This repair involved scraping out old putty, cutting lead joints and slowly flattening the lead over low heat. Depending on the severity of deflection, some panels required nearly 50 cuts on both sides, a labor intensive process for sure. (See blue tape spots on image below.) But we were able to save the original lead. Once the panels were flattened, we resoldered all the lead joints and puttied the panels on both sides. 

Some of the glass was smashed beyond repair. New pieces were acid-etched, painted and fired to match the originals. You’d be hard-pressed to tell which pieces are the replacements.

Next our attention turned to the large, plated opalescent window that sits above the altar. The panels have 2-3 layers of glass that work together to bring a sense of perspective to the scene. It’s a gorgeous window. By carefully removed failed lead, we were able to inspect and clean the glass between the layers. Seeing the rippling water effect up close was a highlight. We wrapped the layers of glass with copper foil to keep dirt out for good. Once the lead replacement was completed, we carefully puttied both sides of the panels. 

Union Chapel sits on a very exposed site, close to the ocean. As a result, many of the sashes required new lower stiles and bottom rails. The smallest sashes needed to be remade entirely. The originals had slipped to “firewood” condition.

The operable metal vents at the base of each window required even more restoration. We didn’t think they were salvageable, but our colleague Alaina, from A.M. Design and Fabrication in Providence, RI convinced us to let her try. She did an incredible job — they’re unrecognizable from their former selves.

We are making a big push in the next six weeks to get the windows completed and installed. We look forward to getting them back to their beautiful home by the sea. While there are question marks surrounding everything in peoples’ lives right now, we join the trustees of Union Chapel in hoping that this summer will still allow for the special moments and celebrations the chapel has always been known for.

NH State House — Bicentennial Window

This window is one of our proudest accomplishments to date. We were approached by our friends at the NH State House to build a commemorative window for the building’s bicentennial. The requirements? Fit with the existing stained glass in the building, commemorate the milestone, and get it done in less than three months, (gulp.) We got to work.

Matt tackled the initial designs and together with the State House team, we landed on the final. Our friend Duncan Reid help us make it into an at-scale, printable template.

The dimensions of the final design are 115”W x 31”H. Choosing glass was an incredibly important part of the process. There were many decisions to make. We ultimately went with darker parts for the border glass to the left and right, graduating to lighter amber selections in the middle. Fun fact: Despite the range of appearances, there are only 5-6 different glass “colors” in use across the whole window.

The medallion is the main focal point. Our inspiration came from archival images of the State House as built in 1819. We painted its likeness onto clear glass, using several layers of vitreous paints — a traditional and methodical process that requires a steady hand. The medallion was then kiln-fired by our colleague Patty Pagels of Accents in Glass in Hampton, N.H. and leaded into the center.

The build was the payoff. With so many decisions behind us, seeing it come together, was a treat. We plated the medallion with opalescent white glass for increased brightness and contrast. And at the last minute, we added a purple “dalle de verre” at the top of the window, representing the Purple Finch and Purple Lilac, two of New Hampshire’s state symbols. 

Our colleague Michael Wise from Woodworks constructed a custom-built, arched sash to house the leaded panels. The installation was December 30th, and with it came an early morning snowstorm, snarling the roads statewide. (Could have done without that.) But the window went into place beautifully and now sits above the interior courtyard.

Thank you to everyone at the NH State House who entrusted us with this incredible honor! We’re proud to know that our work will be part of NH’s great history.

Oak Point — Portsmouth, NH

Here’s a great sash project, right in our backyard. Oak Point Architects is located in downtown Portsmouth, in what was originally the Frank Jones Fire Insurance building.

Their windows are big, beautiful, and definitely in need of repair due to severe UV damage — especially on the southern side of the building.

Back in our studio, we uncovered their original beauty and did some major rehabilitation.

Ryan and team at OPA have been fantastic to work with. We’ve completed the first phase of work and will continue to make our way around the building. Stay tuned for some final pics when we’re done!

St. Peter’s by the Sea: Cape Neddick, ME

The northern coastline of New England is dotted with many seasonal chapels. We were fortunate to work on two of them last year. Our work on the windows at St. Peter’s was an exciting collaboration with Marc Bagala, and Justin Smith at New England Sash Co. The overall scope of work called for fabricating a new sash to match the unsalvageable original, and restoring the stained glass panels.

The lead came was severely deteriorated and the windows required complete releading. We documented, disassembled, cleaned the panels, and went to work.

Many of the original green exterior plates were cracked beyond repair or missing. As we often point out, matching glass can be exceedingly difficult. Finding the same color, texture, and transparency of the original glass is not a given. The green glass looked like it came from the Kokomo Glass Co in Kokomo, IN, (where they’ve been operating since 1888.) I worked with our rep Judy who was able to pull a few sheets and send it our way. She nailed it! In time when a glass manufacturing is shifting overseas, I’m beyond thankful for companies like Kokomo, who service our industry with knowledge and history, on top of the gorgeous glass.  

For other repairs, we kept the original glass and used tinted conservation-grade epoxy to secure them. The most prominent example of this was on one of the angel faces. We were able to match the color and glue the broken piece back together. Even up close, the crack is nearly invisible. We were thrilled with how it came out.

With the glass repairs behind us, we rebuilt the panels with new lead and our work was nearly complete.

Meanwhile, Justin and his team at New England Sash Co. created a beautiful new sash; a perfect replica of the original. The restored stained glass panels fit after minor adjustments and now the 150-year old windows look new. Many thanks to New England Sash Co. for including us in this fascinating project.

Thorpe Oval Window — Newport, NH

Andrea Thorpe is a librarian at the Richards Free Library in Newport, NH. Ten years ago, we worked with her on the restoration of the leaded glass sidelights around the front entrance. Last year, she and her sister, Mindy contacted us to restore a beautiful oval window from the stairway landing in their home. It was a great opportunity to work with Andrea again and the window was a joy to restore.

The oval wooden sash had areas of significant rot due to some long-term water issues that had gone unresolved by the previous owner. Due to the complexity of the shape, we engaged our colleague, Jack Kane to manage the sash repair. He was able to install a mahogany dutchman that matched the original radius and profile perfectly.

The stained glass panel itself had cracked pieces, broken tie wires, and was beginning to become unstable. We found replacement glass for approximately 20 broken pieces, including the center oval. Thankfully, a good portion of the original lead came was in good shape — we were able to replace the broken glass without releading the entire panel.

In the meantime, Andrea and Mindy addressed the water issues and the window is back in place. They can now enjoy their restored window for many years to come.

First Church is complete

In mid-September, we completed the restoration and installation of the windows for the First Church of Concord. We are beyond happy with the results and grateful for the seamless partnership with Cobb Hill Construction. They were terrific managers of this important project.

For a look at the work in progress, read our earlier post here.

10 Remington Street — Cambridge

We were given a great opportunity to work on 12 windows in a grand old apartment building in Cambridge, MA. 

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It was a great chance for us to bring together our “sash” and “solder” skills in one project. First, we completed the mechanical restoration to tighten up the windows and change out the sash cord to chain. We then removed the sashes to complete the full restoration back in our shop.

The glass and leaded-glass panels were carefully removed. All sashes were stripped of paint using an infrared heat gun. All the wood was sanded and primed with an oil-based primer.

The leaded glass panels were thoroughly cleaned. The old perimeter lead was replaced and all broken solder joints were resoldered. The panels were then puttied on the interior and exterior. The original brass hardware was also restored. Finally, we glazed the panels and the original antique glass into the sashes and applied two coats of paint to all of the woodwork. 

We were really happy with the results, as were the clients!

Woman's Club of Concord

The Woman’s Club of Concord (NH) contacted us about restoring the windows from their top floor. This was an involved project — a classic example of what we refer to as “deferred maintenance.” These attic windows had been severely damaged over the years by a combination of UV rays and moisture.

With sash restoration, our goal is always to save as much of the original wood as possible. We were able to consolidate most of the damaged parts with Abatron Epoxy, but some parts were beyond repair. Michael Wise of Woodworks in Portsmouth perfectly matched the original profiles, and milled new stock for us. Once the sashes were reassembled, oiled, primed and painted, you really couldn’t pick out the original stock from the new. Now the original beauty of this stately victorian will be preserved for another generation to enjoy.

We’re grateful to Nadine Miller for entrusting us with this project.

First Church of Concord, NH

We are mid way through another large project — the complete restoration of 32 leaded and stained glass panels from The First Church of Concord, NH. More specifically, they come from the top of the bell tower, a tall and majestic element in the Concord downtown area. This restoration requires complete disassembly, reglazing, and weatherizing of all panels. See update.

Union Chapel — North Hampton, NH

We are thrilled to be well under way on an exciting local project. Residents of the Seacoast may recognize, or perhaps even have attended a wedding here. Union Chapel is in the Little Boar’s Head area of North Hampton, NH, beautifully situated between The Fuller Gardens and the open ocean. We are in the process of restoring all 16 stained glass windows, while Bedard Preservation & Restoration is at work preserving the exterior. (See more recent post for updates.)