MONROE - The stained glass windows in the Green County Historical Society Museum have taken on a serious look.
Many of the 10 large windows, between 70 and 117 years old, are buckled, bent or bowed, and members of the society do not believe the process is slowing down.
Society members Matt Figi and Jim Connors met with the city's Public Property Committee and other aldermen Thursday to discuss the possibility of the city acting on restoring of the windows, as well as repairing other building deterioration. Repairing the windows will take an estimated $8,000 to $12,000 each, they say.
The society members are concerned and want to "do something before it gets any worse," Figi said.
The building, 1617 9th St., is a former Universalist Church, built in 1861 and donated to the city in 1966 to be used a museum. Green County Historical Society rents the building for $1 a year, per the church's donation agreement, and maintains the museum collection.
Eight tall, nearly ceiling high, stained glass windows in the worship hall were installed in 1895, and some are now obviously buckled near the bottoms.
But it is the two round stained glass windows at the front of the hall that society members worry about the most. The east window, installed in mid-1940s, is rippled, and the west window with a rose design, installed in the mid-1920s, is becoming cone-shaped.
City Council President Tyler Schultz is worried the window is bulged so far inward that it could pop at any time. Figi said the rose window probably takes the top priority.
The 60 years from about 1870 to 1930 were the high point for stained glass in the U.S., according to the Heritage Preservation Services of the National Park Service.
In its 2007 publication, "The Preservation and Repair of Historic Stained and Leaded Glass," the Heritage Preservation Services notes the greatest and the most common threat to leaded glass is deterioration of the skeletal structure that holds the glass. When frames fail, leaded glass sags and cracks due to insufficient bracing; it may even fall out from wind pressure or vibration. Occasionally, leaded glass was designed or fabricated with inadequate bracing, which eventually results in bulging or bowing panels.
Minor sagging and bulging is to be expected in an old window and may not require immediate action, says the Heritage Preservation Service. However, when bulges exceed 1.5 inches out of plane, they cross into a precarious realm; at that point, glass pieces can crack from severe sagging and pressure.
Heritage Preservation Services warns that performing major window repairs in place, a routine practice where the cost of restoring large windows can be prohibitive, provides only a quick fix. A window cannot be properly repaired or restored in place if it is bulging or sagging far out of plane, if more than 5 percent of the glass is broken, or if solder joints are failing. The window must be allowed to flatten over a few weeks in a horizontal position.
A proper repair can easily last two generations or more.
All the windows in the museum were installed as memorials to members, and bear familiar names, like Treat, Ludlow, Howe and Bingham. The windows are protected on the outside by plain glass.
The society is also asking the city to consider repairing or replacing a bathroom floor that is "giving way," said Figi, and to do some tuck pointing on the west outside wall where mortar is turning to sand.
To get the process started, Brooke Bauman, committee chairman, asked the society to obtain quotes for repairs. The committee also asked the society to look for historical preservation grants available for the projects, particularly for the windows.
"I think we all would want to preserve the building and its history," Bauman said.
Reid Stangel, chairman of the Finance and Taxation Committee, requested the quotes be submitted before the city enters into its 2013 budget planning process this fall. He also asked for the repairs to be prioritized, so they could be added to the city's future capital plans.
The church building was used to store wheat and wool during the Civil War. The wheat was made into flour for soldiers, Figi said. The building was also used as the first library for the city and as the first kindergarten. Figi said many famous people spoke at the church, including Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth and perhaps Susan B. Anthony.
The museum receives about $5,500 from the city annually for utilities and inside maintenance. The historical society raises funds for other financial needs through donation and charitable events.
The museum, is open from noon to 3 p.m. Mondays and Fridays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Members are admitted free. Others pay $2 for adults, $1 for young adults 12 to 18, and children are free.
Many of the 10 large windows, between 70 and 117 years old, are buckled, bent or bowed, and members of the society do not believe the process is slowing down.
Society members Matt Figi and Jim Connors met with the city's Public Property Committee and other aldermen Thursday to discuss the possibility of the city acting on restoring of the windows, as well as repairing other building deterioration. Repairing the windows will take an estimated $8,000 to $12,000 each, they say.
The society members are concerned and want to "do something before it gets any worse," Figi said.
The building, 1617 9th St., is a former Universalist Church, built in 1861 and donated to the city in 1966 to be used a museum. Green County Historical Society rents the building for $1 a year, per the church's donation agreement, and maintains the museum collection.
Eight tall, nearly ceiling high, stained glass windows in the worship hall were installed in 1895, and some are now obviously buckled near the bottoms.
But it is the two round stained glass windows at the front of the hall that society members worry about the most. The east window, installed in mid-1940s, is rippled, and the west window with a rose design, installed in the mid-1920s, is becoming cone-shaped.
City Council President Tyler Schultz is worried the window is bulged so far inward that it could pop at any time. Figi said the rose window probably takes the top priority.
The 60 years from about 1870 to 1930 were the high point for stained glass in the U.S., according to the Heritage Preservation Services of the National Park Service.
In its 2007 publication, "The Preservation and Repair of Historic Stained and Leaded Glass," the Heritage Preservation Services notes the greatest and the most common threat to leaded glass is deterioration of the skeletal structure that holds the glass. When frames fail, leaded glass sags and cracks due to insufficient bracing; it may even fall out from wind pressure or vibration. Occasionally, leaded glass was designed or fabricated with inadequate bracing, which eventually results in bulging or bowing panels.
Minor sagging and bulging is to be expected in an old window and may not require immediate action, says the Heritage Preservation Service. However, when bulges exceed 1.5 inches out of plane, they cross into a precarious realm; at that point, glass pieces can crack from severe sagging and pressure.
Heritage Preservation Services warns that performing major window repairs in place, a routine practice where the cost of restoring large windows can be prohibitive, provides only a quick fix. A window cannot be properly repaired or restored in place if it is bulging or sagging far out of plane, if more than 5 percent of the glass is broken, or if solder joints are failing. The window must be allowed to flatten over a few weeks in a horizontal position.
A proper repair can easily last two generations or more.
All the windows in the museum were installed as memorials to members, and bear familiar names, like Treat, Ludlow, Howe and Bingham. The windows are protected on the outside by plain glass.
The society is also asking the city to consider repairing or replacing a bathroom floor that is "giving way," said Figi, and to do some tuck pointing on the west outside wall where mortar is turning to sand.
To get the process started, Brooke Bauman, committee chairman, asked the society to obtain quotes for repairs. The committee also asked the society to look for historical preservation grants available for the projects, particularly for the windows.
"I think we all would want to preserve the building and its history," Bauman said.
Reid Stangel, chairman of the Finance and Taxation Committee, requested the quotes be submitted before the city enters into its 2013 budget planning process this fall. He also asked for the repairs to be prioritized, so they could be added to the city's future capital plans.
The church building was used to store wheat and wool during the Civil War. The wheat was made into flour for soldiers, Figi said. The building was also used as the first library for the city and as the first kindergarten. Figi said many famous people spoke at the church, including Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth and perhaps Susan B. Anthony.
The museum receives about $5,500 from the city annually for utilities and inside maintenance. The historical society raises funds for other financial needs through donation and charitable events.
The museum, is open from noon to 3 p.m. Mondays and Fridays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Members are admitted free. Others pay $2 for adults, $1 for young adults 12 to 18, and children are free.