Overview:
One of our most popular stories last year was about where to find the famed Tiffany glass in Cleveland. But Tiffany wasn’t the only stained glass game in town at the turn of the last century. We don’t get a lot of sunlight during the winter, but when we do, it’s worth checking out these stained glass windows. Follow along with our weekly series this winter highlighting stained glass in Cleveland.
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument commands attention at Public Square in downtown Cleveland with its 125-foot-tall column and bronze statues commemorating the American Civil War.
Visitors who enter the monument will be treated to even more architectural wonders, including 14 stained glass windows designed by H.W. Lewis & Co. of Cleveland. The monument was dedicated in 1894, when the cost of each window was about $200.
As part of a $2 million renovation In 2008, the windows were removed, repaired, cleaned and reinstalled by a Cleveland company, Whitney Stained Glass Studio.
Greg Palumbo, the executive director of the monument, said the windows are important elements connecting the battle scenes depicted outside with the displays inside.
“Meant to be viewed from the inside looking out, they incorporate the instruments of war … used in [soldiers’] day-to-day life,” he said.
Like the sculptures on the esplanade outside, the walls of the Memorial Room, and their windows, honor the branches of the service: Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry and Navy. The windows feature flags, cannon balls, sabers and wagon wheels, among other images.
Palumbo said that when Whitney Stained Glass removed each window for restoration in 2008, artisans found interesting craftsmanship. For example, some windows featured a piece of metal mesh sandwiched between two pieces of glass to create the effect of a cloth canteen.
He said the windows “serve to create a more sacred feel to the Memorial Room. As the sun shines through the layered glass, the colors bounce and enhance the interior features.“
According to Tony Butara of the museum, the semi-circular windows are a nod to the casement design common in military forts (a casement is a fortified chamber with an opening for firing guns).
Twelve of the windows depict items familiar to troops. The windows over the doors on the north and south sides are different, but both show rays of sunshine.
On the outside of the building, stone carvings of upturned cannons hold up the windows. Decorative Florentine glass protects each window on the outside and diffuses the light passing through, Palumbo said.
Every inch of the monument designed by Levi T. Scofield honors Civil War veterans. The names of the more than 9,000 Cuyahoga County residents who fought are listed on the Carrera marble walls, and the center of the Memorial Room features four striking bronze relief sculptures. Military emblems and busts of Civil War figures abound.
Bottom line: Pop in – it’s free, and it’s fascinating.
Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free.
