The parishioners of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, are celebrating the return of a priceless piece of art, the rose window that once graced the front of the church facade. The stained-glass window was originally installed during the construction of the church, in 1893-1894, and stayed in place for 80 years. But time and elements eventually took a toll on this work of art, so the decision was made to remove it, and the beautiful display of color was replaced with a stone slab.
The rose window of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, from the outside...
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...and the inside.
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Walter Bambach, a stained-glass craftsman, removed the window in sections and stored it in his basement, free of charge. After a lengthy storage, Bambach and his wife, Joyce, heard that the parish was interested in reinstalling the window and offered to put it back together. So began the process of bringing a 25-foot-tall, 16-foot-wide window back to its original glory.To accomplish the restoration, all 90 sections of the window had to be taken apart, cleaned and restored. The work took place at two locations, with the Bambachs concentrating on the restoration of the rose sections of the window and Jay and Linda Moorman, the owners of Beauverre-Riordan Studios, completing the rest of the work. The first step in restoration was to take a rubbing of each panel. A sheet of paper was placed over the panel and rubbed with a piece of charcoal to create a template. Then the panel was washed several times, using small brushes to clean years of dirt, grime and soot from the varying glass textures. Because glass is stronger when on its side rather than lying flat, the panels were washed standing upright. After a final scrub and rinse, the window was taken apart.
Piece by piece, the lead was removed from the glass and recycled. New lead was then added around each piece of glass. As each piece was releaded, it was put back in its proper place and secured with horseshoe nails (figure A). The process resembled a jigsaw puzzle -- except that this puzzle was made up of 56 sections totaling 2,384 pieces, put together one piece at a time (figure B).Each panel was soldered at every joint, on both sides. Next, a putty solution was rubbed onto the window to make it sturdier. This process is called glazing or cementing. The putty must be forced into every corner and crevice. Next, a layer of calcium carbonate was sprinkled over the panel to absorb the oil in the putty. Final clean-up involves rubbing sawdust over the panel surface to act as an abrasive, cleaning the surface while drying the moisture of the putty.
The bottom panels of the window had a number of broken and missing pieces, which had to be completely re-created. Craftsmen drew the missing pieces and scaled them to size to act as templates. After each template was cut, it was traced onto a piece of glass chosen to match the color and style of the original glass (figure C). In some cases the shade or texture of glass was slightly off, but since the window is 30 feet above ground level, colors and textures appear normal to the viewer. The new glass pieces were cut with special pliers that apply equal pressure to both sides of the glass as it is cut; then the pieces were leaded into the window. While the crafters worked on the window, a new aluminum frame was being made for the glass panels and a new steel frame was being installed in the church.Finally the window was ready to be installed. The job required some heavy machinery -- and a gentle touch, since the window arrived at the church in four sections. As each panel came off the truck and was lifted into the air, onlookers held their breath and no doubt said a few prayers. Slowly, gently, each section was guided home (figure D). A few glass panels were deliberately left out of the frame so it could be properly secured to the steel structure. These panels were installed once the window was in place.
Accommodations had to be made because the new frame is smaller than the original frame, but none of the window's beauty was sacrificed. Safety glass now shields the window from the elements to help protect it and keep it clean. Even with a few modern adjustments, this century-old window is still something to admire. Not only does the window have historical and artistic value, but the cost to replace it today would be approximately $200,000.The parish held a party both to celebrate the return of the window after its 30-year absence and to give thanks for the donations that made its return a labor of love for some and a privilege for others. And to those who thought the window was gone forever, it was a miracle.
If you have stained glass in your home, Beauverre-Riordan Studio offers the following home cleaning tips:
- Wash stained glass with distilled water only, using a soft-free rag.
- Do not clean the lead; it is supposed to be dark.
- If your window is painted, test a spot first, and stop cleaning if you notice any flaking paint.
- If the window is cracked or bowed in any way, consult stained-glass experts about its condition because you could further damage it if you clean it incorrectly.
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