In Spring of 2024, we completed an exciting project for Dickson Memorial Chapel. This important architectural landmark is located in the middle of the Greenlawn Cemetery, a beautiful cemetery in Salem, MA, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead.
The chapel was gifted to the City in 1894 in honor of Georgia Dickson, by her husband and has exquisite detail throughout. It once had an impressive glass arboretum that attached to the side of the chapel and housed a year-round garden. The structure has been lost and the building has suffered from periods of deferred maintenance over the years. Between that and the occasional acts of vandalism, the windows were definitely in need of attention by the time we got started. For reference, the yellow tape in the image below shows which pieces needed to be repaired or replaced.
Thanks to the efforts of Patti Kelleher, Salem’s Preservation Planner, and Christine Lutts from the Friends of Greenlawn, funds were secured in 2023 to restore the majority of the windows. (The Rose window had been restored prior to this phase.)
The originals were designed by Phipps, Slocum & Co. from Boston. The individual panels range from complex multifoils to uniquely-shaped vents and tracery. The blues and ambers throughout the glass give the inside of the chapel a warm, yet somber feel.
The specifications for the restoration were detailed by Julie Sloan, a leading stained glass restoration consultant. They follow the current best thinking in the field of stained glass preservation, and we were thrilled to find that our own studio processes are right in line with them. The scope of our work included removal, board up, wood/metal frame restoration, full restoration of nearly all the stained glass panels, installation of restored panels and installation of custom-cut, vented, laminated protective glass.
Throughout the process, careful documentation was required per the specs. This ensured that we capture this very important chapter in the windows’ history. A comprehensive archive of the effort was created and delivered to the City.
For us, the project was a great one. It was an enormous amount of work, but the payoff was huge. Special thanks to Patti Kelleher, the City of Salem, MA, the Greenlawn grounds crew, Christine Lutts, The Friends of Greenlawn, and the rest of the Greenlawn Community.