Where Light Learns to Speak……

Church Architecture

The Gothic Cathedral

San Chapelle

Renowned Creation of Glass Art

Willet Hauser is where light learns to speak.

We bring a 115 year old legacy of stunning architectural stained glass design & creation to our projects.

Temple Beth Zion, Buffalo, NY

Willet Hauser is a large glass organization with over 70 employees in two studio locations:

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania• Winona, Minnesota

Philadelphia StudioFounded as Willet Studios in 1898

To specialize in the design & fabrication of fine stained glass windows

Willet window at the National Cathedral

William Willet

founder of the Willet Stained Glass Studios

Leta Sullivan Hoffman

By William Willet

Anne Lee Willet with her daughter

A William Willet window now in the permanent collection of the Corning Glass Museum in Corning, NY.

The Cadet ChapelUnited States Military AcademyWest, Point, New York

One of 20 Large clerestory windows all designed and painted by William Willet for Saint Matthew’s Catholic Church, Conshohocken, PA

Henry Lee Willet selects glass.

Anne Lee Willet &Henry Lee Willet

Winona StudioFounded as Hauser Art Glass Company in 1946

To specialize in repair, restoration & protection of existing stained glass

Determining the Condition of a Leaded Stained Glass Window

Is the window constructed of a single layer of glass or does it have multiple layers.

Most windows have a single layer.

The layers are called “plates”, the window is a “plated window”.

Plates are most often found in Tiffany and “Tiffany style” windows.

This window has a base layer and 4 exterior plates (shown above). There are areas with two more layers on the interior.

Restoration in the studio

Cleaning the individual glasses

Restoring and Cleaning Painted Glasses

The left image shows a centuries accumulation of grime.

The right image shows the same section after careful cleaning.

Willet Hauser has created windows for thousands of buildings including:• The National Cathedral, Washington DC

• The Cadets Chapel, USMA West Point

• Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

• Cathedral of St. Mary, San Francisco

• Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York

• National Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC

• The Chapel at the United Nations, New York

• The First Presbyterian Church, Tulsa, OK

• The Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, GA

And over 100 hospital & institutional home chapels including:

•Dupont Institute Hospital Chapel, Wilmington, DE

• Walter Reed Hospital Chapel, Washington, DC

• Royal Alexandria Hospital Chapel, Edmonton

Rose window at Peachtree United Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA

The stained glass legacy of Willet Hauser.

Contemporary Faceted Stained Glass

Contemporary Leaded Stained Glass

Traditional Leaded Stained Glass Windows

For over 115 years Willet Hauser has created the finest traditional styled windows in the United States.

First Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, IN

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church - Houston, Texas36 major traditional styled windows created by Willet Hauser

Chancel area of St. Martin’s

Right Side Clerestory and Aisle Windows

West Wall

Detail of window

One of the Nave Clerestory Windows

Details from background and borders

Medallion Windows

Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, Georgia

Figure medallions from another church.

Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

Savannah, Georgia

Contemporary Leaded Stained Glass

Lewis & Clark window at the National Cathedral

Peachtree United Methodist Church, Atlanta

Peachtree United Methodist Church Atlanta, Georgia In 2002 Willet Hauser completed 41 large windows for this new building.

Unpainted leaded glass with smooth and textured glasses for contrast.

The church wanted the overall style of the windows to be contemporary with a more traditionally styling of the figures in the nave windows.

A detail of the bottom center of the previous window showing the traditional painting style

A traditionally designed building with windows that are at the same time classical and contemporary.

Details from some of the 40 other windows created for this church.

Saint Stephen Lutheran Church, Longwood, FL

Belin Chapel, Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX

Chiara Center Convent, Springfield, IL

Moorings Presbyterian Church, Naples, FL

Saint Stephen Lutheran Church, Longwood, FL

Creating the Window

Jesus shows His Sacred Heart to Saint Margaret-Mary Alacoque.

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Winona,Minnesota

The Process

Charles Z. LawrenceDesigner

The first rendering.

A finished rendering, enthusiastically approved.

Final Rendering.

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Selecting the proper glass

For colorFor valueFor texture

Glass Painting

Glass Painting

Glass Painting with Matte

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Soldering the joints

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Completed Panel fully painted and glazed.

Faceted Windows

For 60 years Willet Hauser faceted glass creations have been enhancing buildings and public spaces.

The faceted glass window (or panel) consists of thick chunks of glass & an epoxy matrix that form the design in a mosaic fashion.

What is Faceted Glass?Some general information about the medium

The glass provides the color and the epoxy provides the line & negative space between the positive colored areas.

The 1” thick glass is manufactured in slabs called “dalles” that measure 8” x 12”. To assure proper adhesion to the epoxy the factory perimeter finish must be removed leaving the largest possible single piece of useable glass at 7 ¾ “ X 11 ¾ “.

There is a limited selection of colors, all of which are not always available. In most cases the glass is the same color and value throughout the dalle. This means that changes in color and/or value must

have epoxy between the glasses. The transition is often abrupt because of the limited selection.

The panels cannot be all glass. The epoxy is needed to strengthen and hold the panels together.

In the center panel it appears that the epoxy to glass ratio is about 50-50. However, in the single panel, with transmitted light, the glass appears to be about 80% of the area. Halation (spreading light around the glasses) causes the epoxy lines and negative space to appear smaller than they actually are.

MTA elevated train station, New York, NY Designed by Michael Krondall

The project always begins with the designer.

The Fabrication Process

The designer or one of our artist/craftsmen enlarge the original design to the full size of the window, or panel. This is called the cartoon.

Each glass is carefully selected for color, value and texture.

A cartoon is laid upon a light table and used as a pattern for the glasses.

Each glass is “rough cut” to the approximate size and shape.

The “rough cut” glasses are marked as to final shape with a grease pencil.

Some smaller and detailed glasses have to be cut with special saws.

The size and shapes of the saw cut glasses are

limited.

The final shape of the glass is achieved by knapping the edges with a special hammer.

The rough-cut edges of the glasses cause the light to be deflected creating textural highlights. Occasionally, the craftsman hits at an acute angle, producing more pronounced sparkling highlights. This should be done very sparingly.

The glasses are all cut and ready for the next step.

In some instances small details can to be added to the surface of the glasses while still keeping their rough, simple overall appearance. The above heads for example.

A resist (in white) is applied to the surface of the glasses and the unprotected area is sandblasted about ¼“ deep into the glass. When the epoxy is poured, it is also poured into this area.

The glasses are then placed upon a level bed of sand in their proper positions.

A form is built around the perimeter of the panel and the epoxy is poured between the glasses.

The panel is cleaned of any excess epoxy and the resists are removed from the glasses.

The finished panels are racked and stored until shipped for installation.

Faceted Windows

For 50 years Willet Hauser faceted glass creations have been enhancing buildings and public spaces.

The following are some examples of how different artists have designed faceted glass installations.

Faceted glass is often used to create walls of glass in a monumental setting.

For many artist/designers the negative space and lines created by the epoxy is a major part of their design.

The varied size of the line and the size and shape of the negative space create a calligraphic effect that can be as important as the size, shape and color of the glasses.

A very strong negative space statement.

Figures and symbols created with the negative space.

Some additional figure design techniques in faceted glass.

Here the artist varies the sizes of the glasses to create a textural quality.

The same artist, by varying the shapes of the glasses, suggests a crowd for this depiction of the “Sermon on the Mount”.

In this restaurant, an autumn forest is suggested by the leaf-like shape of the glasses and the use of epoxy to hint at trunks and branches.

A traditional look can also be created in faceted glass.

Willet Hauser faceted glass is also found in public art.

Harvard Square Station

Cambridge, MA

Designed by Gyorgy Kepes

Faceted glass at the MTA

MTA elevated train station, New York, NY Designed by Yumi Heo

Fabricated by Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

MTA – Arts for Transit

The New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Arts for Transit presents visual and performing arts projects in subway and commuter rail stations.  Neighborhood artists working in various media are invited to compete for projects in nearby stations.  Willet Hauser has been chosen to fabricate faceted stained glass panels based on the winning designs of many of these artists.

Designed by Carol Sun

MTA elevated train station, New York, NY Designed by Andrea Arrayo

MTA elevated train station, New York, NY Designed by Juan Sanchez

MTA elevated train station, New York, NY Designed by Beatrice Caron

Faceted glass with fused glass center section. This is a very unusual technique and the first example that combined fused glass with faceted glass.

MTA elevated train station, New York, NY Designed by Moses Ros

New York Hall of Science, Queens, New York

An entire 9 story building constructed of faceted stained glass panels for the 1964 Worlds Fair.

In many towns and cities the finest artwork to be found is the stained glass of the churches and the chapels at colleges and universities.

Alice Millar Chapel, Northwestern University

Willet Hauser

has been proud to have been a major contributor to the heritage of American Stained Glass Artistry.

First Presbyterian Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Where Light Learns to Speak……

Thank You