Mouth-Blown Glass in Church Restoration | Bendheim

All Souls church in Manhattan's Upper East Side, New York recently completed a restoration that included windows made from Bendheim's authentic mouth-blown glass. The church dates back to 1819 and boasts some very prominent New Yorkers as past members, so the building has a huge historic significance nowadays. Before the extensive renovation, the church had fallen into serious disrepair, but after raising over $15 million, repairs finally commenced in 2019, and was completed in 2022.

Choosing Bendheim Glass

Part of the restoration included replacing the large sanctuary windows. The design and material decisions had to be carefully selected as the windows were an important element to the building's Colonial aesthetic. The challenge was to find a high-quality glass with the correct aesthetic. After searching for the right material, All Souls decided to use Bendheim's authentic mouth-blown glass, which recreates the wavy "antique" appearance of preindustrial glasswork, while offering superior properties in terms of color, impact and quality compared to the other contendors.

Customisation

Each pane of glass is hand-made in Germany by the glassblowers at Glashütte Lamberts, who also offer a wide range of glass hues. Different colors can be made in relatively small batches by adding precise amounts of metal oxides to the glass.

The architect in charge of the restoration at All Souls, Rolando Kraeher, visited the Bendheim warehouse to select the exact range of colors to use for the windows. Specifying a subtle tint for some of the panes in one of seven different shades, the end result is a subtle window with slight hints of color that diffuses soft light into the sanctuary. The new windows are double-paned for energy conservation and now meet ANSI standards for water and air infiltration.