Cummings Stained Glass Studios has just finished its restoration of the Great East Window, a stunning showpiece of the great Gothic style Cathedral of All Saints in Albany, N.Y.
“I’m sure the church is going to be thrilled to see it in its original splendor again,†said Don Davis, Cummings’ project manager.
The huge window, with a rose window at the top and lancets along the bottom, measures about 40 feet high. The Cummings crew began its installation this week. The entire process is expected to take about six weeks, and is expected to be completed so the window can shine forth at Easter.
Restoration of the window is part of a multi-million-dollar restoration and building project for the Gothic style cathedral, the fifth largest in the nation. Ambitious plans call for actually completing the structure, including its spires. The cathedral is unusual, if not altogether unique, in both adhering to the plans of its original architect, Robert Gibson, and in following medieval building methods. The cathedral was dedicated in 1888.
Its 1884 cornerstone ceremony was attended by J. Pierpont Morgan, Theodore Roosevelt, Leland Stanford and Grover Cleveland. But Albany’s first Episcopal Bishop, William Croswell Doane, despite his friends among the elite, had an enemy in Andrew Sloan Draper, the state’s Commissioner of Education, who bought up the adjacent properties to build the first State Education Building on what had been envisioned as the cathedral grounds.
Despite its grandeur, the cathedral is considerably obscured by the vast education building, built as a gargantuan version of a spite fence.
Yesterday, in Cummings bright workroom, Davis explained the process the crew followed, and the problems the workers encountered.
The window was originally made in England by Clayton and Bell, noted glassmakers who recreated medieval methods and designs. But the window, placed over the high altar, was not only grimy but imperiled by its shifting stone tracery or matrix.
“The window was being crushed by the stone,†said Davis. “The sizing was not as accurate as it should have been. It was not a good installation. It didn’t have good structure. It was a very bad scenario for glass.â€
“We had to restructure it,†he said.
Cummings artisans “make a map†of each window slated for restoration, he said.
The process involved 14,000 to 15,000 pieces of glass, each of which had to be cleaned, and many which had to be glued with special glue called Hxtal. Davis estimated that 5 percent of the glass had been broken by the stone supports shifting.
“From start to finish the process is organized,†said Davis, “because the window needs to go back exactly the way it was.â€
Restoration architects John G. Waite and Associates are designing all the work to be complementary with the goal of eventually completing the unfinished building, said Ann Cummings, who now runs the family business.
The cathedral, said Cummings, was forced to replace its roof, and undertake extensive repairs to the masonry.
“A window is much more in the forefront,†said Cummings. “You can’t necessarily see what you do to a wall, but you see a window.â€
The stone matrix — the tracery that holds the window — will now have sensors to monitor any movement in the stone that might be set off by subsequent construction, she said.
“It’s been a wonderful project,†said Cummings, who expressed gratitude to Hoosac Bank for “making this project possible for us.â€
“Hoosac Bank was there for us,†she said. The bank, she said, was willing to make funds available so Cummings could undertake the project until the restoration fund could raise the necessary money.
Her father, Bill Cummings, will participate in a symposium at All Saints about the historic restoration of the structure this spring.
Davis, the project manager, grew up in Tyringham and had a background in carpentry and art. He had applied for work at MASS MoCA, which had then not yet received funding. But MASS MoCA Director Joseph Thompson connected Davis with Bill Cummings, who was seeking an apprentice.
“I knew nothing of stained glass,†said Davis.. “I thought it was all made in Europe 300 or so years ago.â€
“It’s very rewarding to take a project all the way through, and be in on the installation. And then to see people in the church, the congregation, priests and bishop. It’s thrilling. And it involves the whole team. This is a big restoration.â€
“In our apprenticeship, it’s soup to nuts. We remove the window from the church, take it apart, clean and repair it, remake the supporting structure, and put it back in.â€
The lead supports, he said, only last 100 to 125 years. “It will fail beyond that point,†he said.
“The whole studio was on this,†he said. “This was a big one.â€
Other large projects Cummings is, or has done, are the ongoing restoration of windows at Grace Church in New York City; the LaFarge windows at Judson Memorial Church in New York City; the landmark LaFarge window in Thompson Chapel at Williams College; Memorial Hall at Harvard University in Cambridge; the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., replicating the dome in the state capitol at Albany, N.Y., and the Tweed Courthouse in New York City.
The Great East Window is being installed from the top down, Cummings said. She and Davis estimated the weight of the glass itself at about one-and-a-half tons.
“This was a fun project,†said Davis. “Everybody got involved.â€
All Saints was modeled on the great early Gothic cathedrals of England, St. Albans, Lincoln and Canterbury. And it is noted for its collection of Arts and Crafts stained glass, its 1600s Franco-Flemish gold processional cross, and its marble-tile choir floor which could well be 12th century Italian Cosmati paving.
When the need to replace the cathedral’s roof required plans and fund-raising, choir member Dr. Edward Doucet, a specialist in the treatment of HIV and an experienced writer of grant applications, became full-time fund-raiser and, as it happened, researcher.
His discovery of architect Gibson’s blueprints, drawings, and watercolor of the envisioned building, inspired the expansion of the renovation project into an estimated $50 million project to complete the building. Original plans call for raising the Potsdam sandstone walls an additional 40 feet and building two towers.
The cathedral’s hand-carved decorations are by Louis J. Hinton, the master mason whose work on the State Capitol’s Million-Dollar Staircase made him famous.
The Cathedral of All Saints is located at 62 South Swan St. For information about worship services or tours of the building, call (518) 465-1342, or visit www.cathedralofallsaints.org.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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