Five stained glass windows depicting Christian imagery, at least three of which date back to 1885, will see the light of day for the first time in 41 years as part of a $1.4 million renovation project for Rollins Chapel that began July 1.
Also underway are a re-stabilization of the exterior stonework, which suffers from water damage, and the installation of a sprinkler system. The chapel has been closed since the renovations began and will remain closed through September, though the repairs to the windows may take longer.
The windows, which are dedicated to early College presidents and are located in the chancel, were covered with wooden paneling during renovations in 1965 out of concerns that they were letting too much light into people's eyes and that they undermined the nondenominational character of the chapel. The problem will be solved by installing curtains that can cover the windows during non-Christian services or when it is too bright.
Funding for the renovations comes from the College maintenance fund, College Chaplain Richard Crocker said.
"The [exterior] stones obviously can't be allowed to fall in, and the windows were falling in, so it's clearly a maintenance issue," Crocker said.
The possibility of window renovations initially sparked controversy in 2003 and 2004 when some claimed that exposing stained glass windows depicting figures such as John the Baptist would offend non-Christian groups and individuals worshipping in the nondenominational chapel. Crocker and the committee then worked through the United Campus Ministries, which represents all religious groups on campus, to assuage concerns.
"There was an initial reaction [of concern], but the more people talked about it, the more they realized that they're a part of the initial design of the building," Crocker said. "The only offense is if you're having a non-Christian service and you have the windows there, but the curtains solve that."
Greg Gorman, an artist and full-time stained glass specialist since 1976, was hired to repair and restore the windows. Gorman said that he had finished restoring one and a half of the five windows. He estimated that he would finish work on them between September and November.
"It's really hard to tell how slow it's going to go, it's one of those things that takes as long as it takes," Gorman said.
Gorman said the first phase of his work was to repair and restore the windows, which involves taking them down, separating the glass from the lead and putty that held the panels together, scrubbing each piece, replacing any pieces damaged beyond repair, re-leading them back together and cementing them with waterproof putty. The windows come from both domestic and foreign artists including the Royal Bavarian Stained Glass Works located in Munich, Germany.
Gorman said that the windows, which he said were in especially poor shape, were not only "gorgeous" but also historically significant.
"The five windows that have been covered up were windows that had been given for past Dartmouth presidents, so they're of great historical importance to Dartmouth, but they're also of great religious significance," Gorman said. "These rank with some of the nicest windows that I've ever seen, and I think Dartmouth will be pleased when they see what they had," Gorman said.
After he finishes the first phase with the five windows, Gorman said that he will also restore two other sets of windows in the transept, including one large window of Tiffany glass.
The process of renovating the windows began on Oct. 12, 2003 with a Student Assembly report that suggested that the windows be uncovered. In response, Provost Barry Scherr appointed a committee chaired by Crocker and made up of students and staff to examine the issue. The group responded with its report almost exactly one year later, suggesting that the window renovations proceed as long as some way to cover the windows be implemented. The repairs were then postponed to coincide with other major renovations, namely the sprinkler system installation and stonework renovations.
Gorman declined to say how much the window repairs and renovations cost, but in the committee's report to the provost, he estimated the cost for an extensive restoration at $80,000 to $90,000.
Crocker said that he also was unsure of the cost of the window restorations but that it was "a relatively small part of the budget," adding that most of the budget went toward repairing the stonework.
Crocker said that aside from the windows, the other renovations were mostly standard repairs.
"The only thing students will notice when they go into the chapel is the stained glass windows that no one else has seen in almost 45 years," he said.