The Central Christian Church is located in San Antonio, Texas. Most of the stained glass features were created in 1903, boasting both historical and community significance. With 23 original stained glass windows, this church is full of antique and sentimental value. The original church that housed these stained glass windows sustained a fire and had to be rebuilt in 1950. The original stained glass windows remained in the new building, but they endured smoke damage that was never properly addressed.
In addition to the smoke damage, the stained glass windows had common signs of age-related deterioration. With weakening lead, warping panels, cracking joints, severe oxidation, and 115 years of dirt buildup, their stained glass windows were in desperate need of restoration.
The stained glass windows in Central Christian Church are significant in size. Gravity was starting to take over, causing considerable breaks, cracks, and deterioration among the glass and lead components. Most of the damage was a direct result of heat, gravity, wind, water, and oxidation over the last century. Manufacturing new windows of the same size and quality could cost approximately $125,000 per window, making restoration a viable solution for only a fraction of the cost.
The condition of their stained glass windows is quite common considering their age. We identified all the concerns regarding each stained glass window and created a detailed, custom restoration solution that required removing their windows and carefully transporting them back to our studio.
Since this project consists of a larger number of stained glass windows, we’ve been completing it in installments: removing, restoring, and reinstalling a certain number of windows at a time. We’ve completed approximately half of the restoration work and plan on completing the rest over the course of the next year.
The pastor and congregation have been amazed by the results achieved so far, and we can’t wait to see the church as a whole once all restoration has been completed.
Bring new life and beauty to your church with church stained glass restoration from Scottish. Contact our office to speak to a designer about your project or to receive an estimate on our services.