Restoring the Famous Stained Glass Windows in the Vernon A.M.E. Church in Tulsa

The belief that stained glass windows are fragile is a common misconception. In reality, stained glass windows are quite sturdy. Not only are they held together by durable materials like cement and lead caming, but there’s a tremendous amount of thought and consideration that goes into their design. There are stained glass windows that still exist today which were built hundreds of years ago.

Nevertheless, restoration is an inevitable part of every stained glass window’s life cycle. Which tedious, this process is remarkably effective for renewing windows which are old or deteriorating. At Fort Worth Stained Glass, we have spent years perfecting this process and are proud to say that it’s an area we excel in. We have helped many stained glass owners restore and preserve their beloved artwork over the years.

Just recently, we had the opportunity to work on a particularly unique stained glass restoration project for a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Vernon A.M.E. Church, famous for its role in protecting community residents during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, asked us to repair their beloved stained glass. Below, we’ve discussed the project in detail. Read more…

Portfolio Update: Recreating a Beloved Stained Glass Window for Sam Houston State University

Our company, Fort Worth Stained Glass, is part of the Scottish Stained Glass family.  The group of companies has been a part of some pretty amazing historical stained glass restorations. One such project was  Sam Houston State University.  It is a fine example of why we love what we do–we get to breathe new life into structures like churches, synagogues, historic homes, and universities around the country.  A recent project at Sam Houston State University was one of our finest and most exciting works to date.

Replicating Sam Houston State’s Historic Stained Glass Windows

Sam Houston State University has been in Texas longer than most schools since it was founded in 1879. The architecture of the original campus buildings was dotted with lovely arched buildings–one of which had a crowning piece of stained glass. This window was iconic to the school and something they were very proud of.  However, in 1982 the window was completely destroyed by a fire.  In a recent decision, SHSU commissioned our group of stained glass companies to commemorate their school motto “The measure of a Life is its Service” by replicating the original stained glass window.  We could not be happier that they entrusted us with this task!

The First Challenge of Restoring Sam Houston State University’s Lost Stained Glass

Since there was nothing but a yearbook photo from 1962 to guide us, this job came with some unique challenges.  But certainly nothing we could not handle with our extensive experience and stained glass industry ties. You see, we always want to pay respect to the original stained glass art and make it as historically accurate as possible.   Meaning we had techniques already in place to work around having very little historical context or guidance for the job.

Modern Technology for Restoring Stained Glass

We always work using a mix of ancient stained glass techniques and modern technology.  So we started this recreation by scanning the old picture into the computer.  This allowed us to print out a full-sized version and carefully trace the lines. We then rescanned the drawing into our CAD program and doubled the stained glass window’s size at the request of the university.  While the process was painstaking it was also well worth the time and paid off in accuracy. 

Restoring Sam Houston State University’s Lost Stained Glass

Sourcing materials was an issue we knew we would have since most of the time we are working on historical pieces made with materials that no longer exist.  After all, this window was made over a century ago.  In cases like this, finding proper color matches is the challenge.  But we have a network of conservation specialists and used them to help us find colors that were very close to the originals.  To us, close is not enough so our plan to get the old colors matched exactly was to employ our incredibly talented painted stained glass artists.  Using their skill and knowledge they painted over the “close” hues to make them exact matches.

The Results of the Recreated Commemorative Stained Glass Window

The recreation of the stained glass window at SHSU took almost a full year.  In some spots around faces and clothing, there were ten layers of color to get the shading just right!  A mix of art and science this lovely commemorative window ended up with about 3,000- 4,000 pieces.  The reactions from the university staff, students, and board were of amazement and gratitude. This made us so happy since we take such great pride in our stained glass restoration, repair, and recreation projects.  We believe these treasures of old deserve preserving it for generations to come.

If you are looking to have a historic stained glass window restored or rebuilt we would love to speak to you about it!  Contact us Fort Worth Stained Glass today for a free consultation.

Fort Worth Stained Glass Portfolio Review: Gorgeous Painted Stained Glass

Here at Fort Worth Stained Glass, we are part of one of the most proficient stained glass studios in the country–Scottish Stained Glass. This is a point of pride for us and it also means we get to be part of some pretty cool stained glass installations. Of course, each comes with its own set of challenges–but each is also incredibly fulfilling work. We get to transform more than just windows but the lives of the congregants too. One recent example of this is our most recent large installation at St. Andrew The Apostle Catholic Church located in Wray, CO.

The Scope of Our Custom Stained Glass Project

Wray is a small town but this custom stained glass project was a big one. Unlike many of the churches built in this day and age, St. Andrew’s did not have stained glass windows in the sanctuary. The congregation felt like stained glass would make their place of worship feel more like a house of God. They reached out to us with a request for use to create five new, custom stained glass windows on the east side of their sanctuary. We were happy to help and full of ideas because custom work is right up our alley.

Customizing Stained Glass to Be Historically Accurate and Beautiful

The church congregation really wanted a depiction of the five Luminous Mysteries (baptism, wedding, proclamation, transfiguration, and last supper). These tenants were significant to them and made for lovely windows as well. For a job this detailed, custom painted stained glass was our suggestion. We have such a very talented painted glass specialist–Maria–and this was a great job to put her skills to use on. We used actual models to get the poses just right and we also dug deep into our research for historical accuracy like:

• The Appropriate background and foliage for the region
• Authentic tile design for floors in that time-period
• A historically accurate depiction of the town of Cana

The Beauty of Custom Painted Stained Glass

The outcome of our custom, five-panel stained glass project in St. Andrew The Apostle Catholic Church came out gorgeous. We used mostly black and brown paint but pulled color from the glass background. We also harnessed natural sunlight for depth. This created a realistic look to faces, hands, fauna, and flora. The result was an incredible three-dimensional look that was both authentic but stunning as well. The members of the congregation (who watched socially distanced) and in the end were amazed by the artwork. One member even mentioned “Now we have a church”. This statement was such an affirmation of a job well done that makes us love our work in custom stained glass creation.

For more information on custom stained glass or breathing life into an old piece of stained glass with restoration–contact us at Fort Worth Stained Glass today!