Window Restoration Campaign
The Conrad-Caldwell House Museum is a non-profit with a diverse funding base; however, we are supported primarily by private tax-deductible donations. In other words, we rely on you.
Your donation will be put to work immediately and will help support The Conrad-Caldwell House Museum's mission of preservation and education.
Our Capital Campaign focuses on the restoration of seven art glass windows, including the medieval leaded glass windows and the stained-glass window above the grand staircase!
Want to fund this project? Learn more about our Window Restoration Capital Campaign!
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Restoration of Medieval Leaded Glass Windows
The Conrad-Caldwell House Museum is seeking donations to this year's capital campaign project to fully restore several of our incredible art glass windows!
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The 3rd Floor Office Windows are an interesting combination of double-hung
and pocket style, these windows date back to the early 1900s and reflect the grandeur and wealth of the
Caldwell Family who resided in the home. Beyond grandeur and wealth, the windows, and the room in
which they were placed showcase the growing Tudor Revival Movement, which occurred nationally,
eventually peaking in the 1920s.
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The seven windows are in varying stages of deterioration primarily caused by the ongoing onslaught of weather and lack of proper maintenance in the past. We've just concluded the first step by removing all seven windows to assess the amount of damage incurred to the deteriorating wooden frames. Next, the team at Heritage Window Solutions will then determine how much of the original structure can be preserved and replace what cannot be salvaged. All leaded and painted glass panels will be removed and restored separately at RLD Glass Art & Restoration, LLC. while the frames are being repaired. Once the work is completed the panes will be returned to their frames, which will have been treated with wood preservative, and reinstalled and tested to ensure optimal performance regarding opening, closing, and locking.
Restoration of Grand Staircase Stained-Glass Window
Once restoration is complete on the medieval art glass windows, The Conrad-Caldwell House Museum will turn its attention to the Stained-Glass Window above the hand-carved grand staircase.
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The stained-glass window that illuminates the intricately carved golden oak staircase is an impressive focal point in the home. Nearly eleven feet in height and over 5 feet in width, visitors audibly gasp when they round the corner on the main floor to behold its beauty. The window is two panes, double hung, featuring varying shades of amber and rose-colored glass and over twenty cut crystals that create a dazzling prismatic display when the sun illuminates it.
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Like the medieval art glass windows, each pane is in varying stages of deterioration primarily caused by the ongoing onslaught of weather and lack of proper maintenance in the past. Standing under the window and looking up, visitors often note that the window is bowing in sections, creating a rippling effect, as no two sections bow in the same direction. Without the proper maintenance, this window risks being lost to history.
Work has already begun to raise funds to restore and preserve this artistic masterpiece.
Like the office, this window will have to be removed and taken to an off-site facility where it will be worked on. In addition to the funds needed to restore the window, any funds given to this campaign will also be used to purchase a protective storm window on the outside to insure the window's safety from weather or otherwise.
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