The newest piece of public art in Arlington, Virginia, is nearly a century old. It’s a stained-glass window from Tiffany.
“Christ in Blessing" was rescued in 2001 when a team went inside the Abbey Mausoleum to see if there were any artifacts worth salvaging before the structure was torn down. The window had holes apparently made by thrown rocks.
However, they didn't realize the value of the stained-glass window until they received a call from a window restoration company and were told that it was a Tiffany piece made over 100 years ago.
“We were all screaming in the office … We never would have expected that going in, and then to realize the value of what we were able to save was very exciting," Arlington public art administrator Angela Anderson Adams said.
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During its 2001 search, the team rescued many other pieces, too.
“I can still feel the cold; I can still smell the formaldehyde,” Arlington County’s historic preservation coordinator, Cynthia Liccese-Torres, said as she recalled uncovering the art.
Liccese-Torres said the damage was “saddening,” but they sensed the potential for bringing the pieces “back to life.”
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While some of the pieces have been placed in public buildings, libraries and community centers, finding the perfect home for the Tiffany “Christ in Blessing” window has been a challenge — until recently.
Central United Methodist Church partnered with a nonprofit to create affordable housing on church property in Arlington — a project required to display public art or pay into a fund per Arlington code.
Central United Methodist Church pastor Sarah Harrison-McQueen recalled learning of the stained-glass window for the first time.
“[The team] took us down the hallway and opened this closet, and then we saw this beautiful stained-glass window that had been boxed up for years,” she said.
“We said, ‘Of course, we’d be honored to display this,’” she added.
The Washington Art Glass Studio said 30% of the window was damaged, so it was restored over the course of one year. In February, the window was installed outside of the church sanctuary.
“We can now, for the next 100 years or so, display this beautiful Tiffany window,” Harrison-McQueen said.
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