Who among us has found themselves sitting quietly in our beautiful sanctuary on an overcast Sunday morning when suddenly the grey sky clears and sunlight pours through the stained glass windows of our southern exposure? This can be a very spiritual experience and, we suspect, one enjoyed by almost all of us at least once, certainly. In 1925, the building permit for the Rose City Park Community Church, as we were known then, was issued by the city to erect a building for the sum of $75,000, and the church was dedicated in 1927. If we think about how difficult it was to raise that amount to build the church, given that the 1925 US dollar is worth about $17.10 today, those good folks would be committing themselves today to about $1,282,500 to build out their dream for the Hollywood neighborhood. Today, the currently appraised value of the stained glass windows alone is $249,000. Their original cost would have been approximately $14,500 for the artisans to fabricate and install.
The Povey Glass Company here in Portland, considered then to be the “Tiffany of the Northwest,” was commissioned to design and fabricate the windows. A Povey artisan, Albert A. Gerlach, who had studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, was the one who took on the task of painting these glass pieces that reside within the leaded boundaries of the windows that now need some loving restoration. Some pane pieces need to be leaded/repaired; the current plexiglas protective window coverings need to be removed; the exterior wood trim must be stripped and re-painted; and new exterior acrylic storm windows and custom frames, which allow for the windows to “breathe” appropriately, must be installed so the renovation will withstand the elements of our climate.
The total estimated expense for this project, to be completed by Willett Hauser Architectural Glass, Winona, MN, will be $61,000, of which $10,041 has already been pledged/donated. The work is scheduled to be done in June of this year, with minimal disruption to our weekly schedules here at RCPPC. We earnestly encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can contribute to this very timely, necessary and tasteful repair/renovation project. The project has been approved by your Session, the contract has been signed and we have a start date in June. We are inviting members and friends of RCPPC to help with these costs through directed contributions outside their regular pledge. It now comes on our watch to be good stewards of this architecturally beautiful and spiritually uplifting collection of stained glass art and we hope that you will respond as generously as your personal circumstances will permit, no amount being too small to contribute.
If you are contributing by check, please note on the memo line “Stained Glass”. Should you wish to donate appreciated stock, or by a Qualified Charitable Distribution, consult with your investment advisor first and then please contact Peter Bilotta or Thad Langford for instructions on how to proceed for such a transaction. Thanking you in advance, Buildings and Grounds Committee
Click here to donate by PayPal.