September 6, 2025
Message from Michael Spencer“Given the condition of the window, we needed to act quickly to proceed with repairs immediately in this off season in order to avoid any further damage. This historic and beloved Tiffany window depicting Jesus with open arms stepping onto the island is the visual focus of the congregation and sits at the heart of our worship space.
It is the principal enduring feature from the original church building and survived the devastating 1938 hurricane – a reminder across generations of the Lord’s presence and of the resilience of faith throughout all the storms of life. The preservation of this window is critical. Therefore, we made the decision to initiate the repairs without delay. While we are now able to cover a portion of these repairs from the operating budget, we are hoping for a few donors to help us make up the difference.”
Click on any image to see a larger version or to scroll through the gallery.
Early Days
St. John’s Church was built by Christian Hansen in 1881, using a Gothic Revival design that was popular for ecclesiastical buildings of the day.
Hansen was born in Denmark in 1848. He traveled to America as a master carpenter and became one of Fishers Island’s first settlers when the Fox Estate began a program of land sales there in 1877. Hansen built his own house overlooking the village green, then built the church further up the hill. His home and St. John’s Church are two of the oldest structures on Fishers Island. The church’s position high on the hill, overlooking the road leaving the Village, has made it a prominent feature of the Island for almost 150 years.
Bowers Window
One of the most notable aspects of St. John’s Church is the large stained glass window above the altar.
The window, titled “Our Savior”, was installed in 1892 and dedicated to Henry Bowers, the Senior Warden in 1890, who died on February 10, 1891. At that time, stained glass was an advanced and very popular art form in America. In addition to being widely used in religious settings, it was also seen in grand homes across the country. A large stained glass window was a fitting memorial to a revered member of the church.
Hurricane of 1938
St. John’s was badly damaged in the hurricane of 1938. In connection with its restoration, the church was remodeled from its original semi-Gothic style to its current colonial style.
lying in the street the day after the 1938 Hurricane.
Photo by Adelard T. LeGere. Sept. 22, 1938. HLF Museum Collection.
Before and After the Hurricane
Tiffany windows were not as popular in the 1930s. Some people involved in the restoration of 1939 may have felt that the elaborate window was overpowering, because the large decorative border of the window was then covered.
A Tiffany Window Discovered
When the window was repaired again in the 1990s, the full window was uncovered. A pane in the lower right corner that had been hidden for over 50 years revealed that it had been made by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company (later known as Tiffany Studios), the most prominent stained-glass studio in America.
New Problems
Despite the best intentions behind the steps taken to strengthen and protect the window in its restoration in 1994, problems began to become evident after only 25 years.
The overall window appeared to be settling within the sash frame, causing it to buckle at the bottom and crack at the top. This settling had also caused most of the wires that connect the window to the horizontal support bars to break. And cracks in the panes were beginning to appear. This summer, 2025, the vestry decided to bring in an expert to assess the condition of the window and recommend a course of action.
Assessment and Examination of Overall Condition
Fortunately, a member of our parish, Thayer Tolles, is a curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum. She asked a colleague there, Nonnie Frelinghuysen, for advice. Ms. Frelinghuysen is widely considered to be the foremost authority on Tiffany glass in the World. She strongly recommended that we engage Liberty Stained Glass Conservation, LLC (“LSGC”) in Freehold, NJ. LSGC “provides accurate and ethical condition reporting, treatment plans, and job oversight for caretakers of stained glass windows.” After discussions with Brianne Van Vorst, who runs LSGC, we hired them for the project.
Ms. Van Vorst came to the Island for two days in late August and thoroughly examined the window. She found that the window is settling, which is causing a series of worsening problems that need to be addressed. Our window is particularly susceptible to this type of settling because it is a single panel, rather than several smaller panels fastened together as would be typical for a window of its size. This has been exacerbated by the extremely high temperature created in the space between the window and the plexiglass due to poor ventilation. Major repairs, additional support, proper ventilation, and protective low-emissivity exterior glazing are required to restore the window and extend its life.
Examination – Detailed Analysis
After inspecting every inch of the window, Ms. Van Vorst provided a detailed schematic highlighting the specific problem areas. It notes the locations of the breaks, broken wires, and bowing. In addition to the detailed physical inspection, she also provided very interesting historical and artistic context.
The Liberty Stained Glass Conservation Report
We received the formal report from LSGC on September 25. Here are noteworthy points:
- They plan to use two restoration firms on our project.
- Northeast Stained Glass Company (“NESG”) in Newton, NJ will remove the
window on October 14; transport it to the NESG studio; photograph, document, and conserve the window; and then transport it to Femenella & Associates in
Branchburg, NJ. - Femenella & Associates (“F&A”) will receive the conserved stained-glass window,
build new custom frames for both the window and the new protective glazing,
return them to Fishers Island in May, and reinstall them. - By using two firms, LSGC expects to meet our timeline and complete the
reinstallation before our first service in June of 2026. - LSGC has worked with both firms on multiple occasions and is confident that they
are the best team for this assignment.
Northeast Stained Glass – Qualifications
Northeast Stained Glass has had many years of experience restoring important
stained-glass windows at prominent churches, including:
- Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York City
- St. Thomas Church on 5th Avenue in New York City
- Riverside Church in New York City
- Greenwood Cemetery
- LSGC has worked on many projects with Northeast and feels that the combination of having them do the conservation and Femenella do the fabrication of the frame and protective glazing will produce the best outcome possible and maximize the chances of having the project completed in time for services next summer.
Removal Day – October 14, 2025, at 8:00 AM
The NESG team of Eric, Tommy, and Joe arrived and prepared to remove the window.
They removed the exterior and interior layers to expose the actual window sash.
Specially designed tape was applied to strengthen and protect the window.
It takes five people to handle the 400+ pound window, which must come out and up to the ceiling to clear the decorative molding, and then to the floor.
The window was carefully crated using three layers of material.
The Recessional — The crew carried the crated window from the church.
Securing the Window Opening
After the window had been removed, the former plexiglass glazing was returned to the opening. It was screwed into place, the air vents were sealed, and the joints between the pane and the frame were carefully caulked. As a result, the church was temporarily much brighter than expected. NESG provided the specs for an exterior plywood layer, and B&G oversaw its installation.
Tiffany Glass – New Techniques
Opalescent Glass – Created by manipulating the glass during the cooling period or with chemical additives, it has a lustrous, shimmering appearance and is not fully transparent. This technique combines multiple colors and translucencies in a single sheet, which produces subtle color gradients and depth. This allows the artist to produce water, clouds, and skin tones without additional pigments or paint.
At St. John’s, the large rondels in the upper corners of the window are made with opalescent glass plating. They provide excellent examples of Tiffany’s signature technique of “painting with glass”. Plating layers of opalescent glass produces radiant internal movement and iridescent veining when illuminated.
Plated Glass – Multiple layers of glass are overlaid to produce complex visual textures or dramatic lighting effects. This allows striking lifelike detail, especially with skies, water, and drapery. The St. John’s window utilizes both of these techniques and more to create vivid colors, a striking textural appearance, and dramatic lighting effects.
Christ’s halo provides an excellent example of the dramatic lighting effects that Tiffany achieved with plated glass. The halo utilizes a single layer of lightly colored glass in sharp contrast to the plated glass of the sky that surrounds it. The result is that when sunlight strikes the halo it appears to glow.
Planning for the Reinstallation
After the window had been removed, Brianne, and Patrick from Femenella carefully examined the window frame and the surrounding woodwork. They took careful measurements so that the frame, sash, and the protective glazing system can be fabricated precisely at F&A’s studio in Branchburg, NJ. After NESG has completed its work, the window will be moved from their studio to F&A’s studio and set in the new sash.
The plan is for F&A, NESG, and LSGC to return to Fishers Island in the spring to reinstall the window, so that the church will be ready for its first service next June.
to catch the 4:45 ferry!
Plaque under the window reads:
IN MEMORIAM. HENRY BOWERS
BORN JANUARY 11TH, 1820
DIED FEBRUARY 10TH, 1891
