Dear St Luke’s,
To: Friends of St Luke’s
Re: Repair and Preservation of Sanctuary Rose Window
Situation
When you are within the St Luke’s sanctuary, your gaze will take you many places and one of those stops will most likely be on the stained-glass rose window, high within the wall at the front of the sanctuary. It is a beautifully designed window whose colors respond to the ever-changing light of the day. It has its own story and is part of the tapestry of our history as a congregation.
The purpose of this communication is to share that this window is showing signs of severe deflection (bowing inward) that needs addressing. Over time it has been subjected to the normal effects of air pressure and gravity, which the original installation couldn’t anticipate. It was recently discovered that the window is bowing inward approximately six inches. The pictures provided give a sense of the inward curvature, but it is difficult to capture in a photo. If you stand in the sanctuary, underneath the window and look up, you can clearly see what is being described.
This project requires special skills in construction and working with stained-glass. Through careful research and references, we were led to a very capable contractor that performs specialty art services such as this. This contractor has restored several stained-glass windows in the Pacific NW.
The window is comprised of nine individual panels sealed to each other. The only thing supporting the window are two horizontal bars that are soldered to some of the panels. The repair consists of removing the nine panels, fabricating and installing a steel frame anchored to the perimeter window frame, modifying the stained-glass panels to fit the frame, installing and glazing the panels back in place.
How can you help?
The Board of Trustees is reaching out to you, the friends of St Luke’s, requesting donations toward the repair and preservation of the Rose Window. The total repair costs for skilled labor and a four-week duration are $10,600. Currently the contractor has an opening in Fall 2023 to do this work. We can reserve this time slot with a deposit and are looking for friends interested in contributing. This can be done through the normal avenues of giving such as: personal check, electronic giving, or QR code. Please designate this project, Rose Window in your donation.
Thank you for all that you do in being part of the community of St Luke’s.
President – Board of Trustees
VP – Board of Trustees
