Spiritual Reconstruction : Judson Studios Will Be Busy Helping Churches Restore Quake-Shattered Stained-Glass Windows

For the last 100 years, the Judson family has designed stained-glass windows for churches, synagogues, banks, shopping centers and restaurants from coast to coast. The historic stained-glass center has also seen its share of damage caused by earthquakes, including the Long Beach quake in 1933 and the Sierra Madre quake in 1991.

But the magnitude 6.6 Northridge earthquake Jan. 17 has caused more damage to stained-glass windows than any disaster before it, said Bill Judson, 28, who works with his father and a dozen artisans inside a mansion-like studio in Highland Park.

Business, he said, could be backed up for months.

“This was a thrust earthquake, which caused the windows to pop out more than a slip earthquake,” said Bill’s father, Walter W. Judson, 52, whose great-grandfather William Lees Judson founded Judson Studios in 1897. “Stained-glass people will be busy for awhile.”

Judson Studios, whose family logo--a griffin--adorns scores of colored glass panes on buildings across the country, is one of the few studios in California capable of large-scale repairs. And for the dozens of damaged buildings across Southern California, the road back could be a long one--insurance companies will be processing claims for weeks or even months, and some churches and businesses might not have the money to replace damaged windows.

Repairing stained-glass can be complicated and costly. The process--which includes taking the window apart, researching the original art and finding matching glass--can cost $150 to $15,000.

St. Peters Armenian Church in Van Nuys was heavily damaged in the recent temblor. In the church dome, six of 12 stained-glass windows--each of an apostle--were shattered, and the other six were damaged. Just removing the damaged sections and covering the holes with plastic will cost the church $8,500, said Father Shnork Demirjian. He said he is not sure what it will cost to replace the windows. The church has no insurance and cannot rely on help from parishioners, many of whom were also hit hard during the quake.

Still, repairing the windows is the church’s first priority, Demirjian said. “Although stained glass is originally a Western (means of expression), the icons are important for us, and the windows create the atmosphere for worship in the church,” he said.

At the Church of the Lighted Window in La Canada Flintridge, the window for which the church was named lost a large chunk of glass. Although the church does not yet know how much fixing the broken window will cost, it wants to repair and reinforce it, senior minister Philip Anderson said.

“We appreciate the aesthetics of the stained-glass windows, which are clearly a part of our worship life,” he said.

The Judson Studio workers begin the repair process by making sure that the building is stabilized so the windows can be safely removed. Then they take a rough drawing or rubbing of the existing lead (the strips that surround the glass and hold the design together), take the windows apart and bring the pieces back to the studio.

“It’s critical for people not to go through and sweep up and throw everything away,” said Walter Judson, who is also co-owner of an interior design business for religious institutions. Workers try to preserve as much of the original glass as possible in reconstruction.

Judson said it’s important for churches to collect good photographs of the windows before they are damaged so workers can accurately re-create the design. It is also important to know when the windows were made and by whom, and to save old sketches or drawings because each window is unique in style, color and type of glass.

“If we want to have a shot at replacing it, we should know how it looked before, and how it was made,” Judson said. “It’s like being a detective, going back and finding old evidence.”

Faceted glass, which is thick glass held together with epoxy rather than lead, is generally easier to repair than leaded glass, Judson said, because it usually has simpler patterns. But leaded glass is stronger and better absorbs the shock of an earthquake. Repairing faceted glass involves replacing the glass and re-creating the pattern.

Judson encourages regular inspection of windows to prevent damage. The sash, or frame of the glass, should be in good shape. After this earthquake, Judson said, he will recommend steel sashes rather than aluminum sashes because steel, though more expensive, is sturdier.

Making and repaired stained-glass art is “spiritually satisfying,” Judson said. “You’re not decorating a building, you’re creating a space. The windows help create a sense of spirituality in the church, and more importantly, help create a sense of community.”