"I think the whole concept of the Union Project is terrific! (I wish I had thought of it)...You have salvaged an entire neighborhood; and that is quite astounding!"

"The class was fantastic.  Well organized, well equipped, highly motivated and competent instruction, well-chosen classmates, inspiring setting, great lunch...I kept one of the rubbings and a couple of small pieces of lead from the project as souvenirs.  Still have them and treasure them."

A Window to the Future:
Union Project Turns Million Dollar Problem into Community Commodity

A non-traditional approach to restoration is underway in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood. The daunting task of renovating the former Union Baptist Church – a 100-year old gothic church building at the literal intersection of East Liberty and Highland Park – has been tackled by the Union Project. This grass-roots organization is devoted to restoring the prominent historic building and turning it into gathering and working space for artists, community builders and people of faith. The volunteer-driven restoration is underway thanks to the commitment of over 500 neighbors and friends who have already contributed some 9,000 hours toward the renovation.

One of the biggest restoration tasks, however, seemed insurmountable. Each of the over 100 original stained and leaded glass windows in the building needed to be restored. Faced with repair estimates ranging from $500,000 to $1 million, the innovative thinkers behind the Union Project dreamed up a new approach that will cut costs by as much as 80 percent and simultaneously achieve additional goals.

The problem was two-fold: the windows needed to be repaired immediately, and with other pressing needs for scarce capital dollars and a shrinking economy, the funds weren’t available to undertake the massive window restoration – even in phases. It occurred to the Union Project staffers that the average Pittsburgher might be faced with a similar problem of a smaller scale in their own homes. The majority of Pittsburgh homes, large or small, modest or ornate, contain some kind of stained or leaded glass windows in need of repair, and the many do-it-yourselfers living in those homes are loath to pay someone else to fix them.

Working through the community grapevine, Union Project staffers Jessica King and Justin Rothshank and local stained glass artist Catherine Berard found each other. Working together, they proposed a stained-glass restoration class in which class members would pay a modest fee to cover instructor fees, tools and replacement glass. The class materials were plentiful: the Union Project windows.

Armed with an email list of 1,500 people, the Union Project put the word out. Within weeks, the class was full and a waiting list was established. Berard was willing to start a second class on a consecutive night, and within days, the second class was full to capacity with yet more people on a waiting list.

“This is such an innovative win-win-win solution to the problem of the windows at the Union Project! I learn how to restore my own stained glass, receive important knowledge that will help me go on to create my own windows with further work, and help a worthy community project at the same time,” says Reverend Teresa Stricklen, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, “How cool is that?”

Class member Julie Farr, Executive Director of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Alliance, knows arts organizations and their struggle to raise charitable dollars for programs and work space. Says Farr, “The window restoration project is a brilliant solution to a million dollar problem.”

Students in The Union Project stained glass restoration class are taught all aspects of restoration. Each student, or pair of students depending on the size of the window, restores a stained glass window that has been removed from the 15,000 square foot stone church building. Students are taught how to dismantle each window, clean each piece of glass, cut replacement glass for broken pieces, re-lead each window, attach reinforcement bars, and prepare each window for reinstallation.

At the culmination of the class, students will watch as their fully restored windows are reinstalled, complete with a custom-made protective glass storm window.

The Union Project hopes to use the 24 class members to restore 29 windows during this first term of classes, leaving some 70 windows for future classes. “It’s a fun way of contributing to the community and I heartily recommend it!”, says class member Stacie Chandler, Communication Coordinator for the Mon Valley Initiative.

The work may be dirty and tedious, but doubly rewarding. Says Stricklen, “My buddy and I have spent three hours laboriously cleaning just one window. When I told my daughter what I was doing, she said, ‘Let me get this straight: you're paying them to clean their windows?’ But when I come home and my children see how excited I am about being involved in my community, they learn a valuable lesson about what it means to live the good life. Add another win to this win-win situation.”

The Union Project has completed 7 successful stained glass classes to date. Over 70 students have participated in the classes, with many more volunteers assisting in cleaning windows, preparing window openings for reinstallation, and painting window trim. 4 more classes are scheduled for the summer and fall of 2004, with an estimate of almost 70 windows completely restored by winter of 2004.

The Union Project Stained Glass classes have been featured on WDUQ 90.5 FM, on Channel 4 Local Television News, and in the local papers. See what other folks have to say:

January 2004 MEDA News

2.8.2004 Pittsburgh Post Gazette

11.7.2003 Pittsburgh Business Times