Advice on how to proceed needed

[toadman]

My son recently purchased a building in central IL that contained 4 large leaded stained glass windows in bad need of restoration. The local fathers want him to agree to restore them but realistically they need a lot of work. I have removed them and put them in storage for now but will need to talk to reputable party in near future to get guidance for further discussions with politicos.Sizes vary from 65" wide by 31" high in to 86" wide by 31" wide. The windows are old as they are original to the building which is from the late 1800s. Nails removed from the frames in the removal process are rough square edge which I believe indicate age of windows as original installation. I am in Morton Grove, IL and would like to know if anyone local to Chicago area is interested in helping me. He has received advice from local studio that said he should cannabalize other windows to get one good one to propose installation of. I would hate to proceed down that path without exploring full options possible.

[Richard Gross]

You can find a list of the members of the Stained Glass Association of America in this year's Sourcebook, which is downloadable for free at this link: http://www.sgaaonline.com/pdf/Sourcebook.pdf.

You should absolutely get multiple bids from SGAA Accredited Studios before deciding on a course of action.

[Vic Rothman]

If the house is landmarked, you may have no choice but to restore the windows

[toadman]

Thank you for replies. I will recommend use of accredited studios as you suggest. I have downloaded names of local resources.  With regard to status of building; it is not significant and certainly not a landmark. I can see that in its prime, the windows were probably very functional and beautiful. But with lower drop ceilings and the need for energy savings in a business environment, we are looking for a reasonable course of action to follow. If we are told the windows are valuable, we will continue to store them in a protected space until a plan for restoration is implemented. I don't want to take a short cut of cannibalizing just to appease local government body. As I see from list, the closest accredited studio seems to be in Evanston, IL. Unless you can suggest a souce closer to Bloomington, IL, we will contact the Botti Studio.

[Vic Rothman]

Thank you for replies. I will recommend use of accredited studios as you suggest. I have downloaded names of local resources.  With regard to status of building; it is not significant and certainly not a landmark. I can see that in its prime, the windows were probably very functional and beautiful. But with lower drop ceilings and the need for energy savings in a business environment, we are looking for a reasonable course of action to follow. If we are told the windows are valuable, we will continue to store them in a protected space until a plan for restoration is implemented. I don't want to take a short cut of cannibalizing just to appease local government body. As I see from list, the closest accredited studio seems to be in Evanston, IL. Unless you can suggest a souce closer to Bloomington, IL, we will contact the Botti Studio.

As you may have noticed, there are very few studios that are accredited. There are a great many high quality studio's across the country that have no accreditation or even association affiliations. You may want to check with local Historical Society's for other references.

[Richard Gross]

It's easy to say that there are great studios that are not accredited, and it's true. It's also true that for each great studio that's not accredited, there are dozens of fly-by-nights that aren't qualified to do the sort of work that accredited studios are qualified to do. They'll never tell you they aren't qualified, and they'll gladly take your money. But you'll be disappointed in what they offer you from a craft and business standpoint.

Accreditation is a rigorous process that reviews all aspects of a studio's craft and business practices. Accreditation lets the client know that the studio has a history and a reputation for excellence.

You can pick a name out of the phone book and hope for the best, or you can pick a name out of the Sourcebook and know that you are getting the best.

[Vic Rothman]

It's easy to say that there are great studios that are not accredited, and it's true. It's also true that for each great studio that's not accredited, there are dozens of fly-by-nights that aren't qualified to do the sort of work that accredited studios are qualified to do. They'll never tell you they aren't qualified, and they'll gladly take your money. But you'll be disappointed in what they offer you from a craft and business standpoint.

Accreditation is a rigorous process that reviews all aspects of a studio's craft and business practices. Accreditation lets the client know that the studio has a history and a reputation for excellence.

You can pick a name out of the phone book and hope for the best, or you can pick a name out of the Sourcebook and know that you are getting the best.

It's hard to believe that there are only 77 qulified/accredited studios in the entire USA, as listed in the current "Sourcebook"

[Richard Gross]

I never said that the only qualified studios are the Accredited Members of the Stained Glass Association of America. What I said was that Accreditation is proof of the pursuit of excellence and that the studio seeks to uphold the objectives of the organization, which are:

• To function as the recognized organization of distinction and to conduct its affairs in a manner that will reflect credit upon its image and craft;
• To maintain the highest possible standards for excellence in craftsmanship, integrity and business practices;
• To provide facilities offering active membership participation, extensive craft training, organizational and craft related information, trade-related consulting and documentary services;
• To research and develop new products, processes and techniques for the advancement of innovative craft expression;
• To act as the authoritative historian and archivist for its craft in America; to defend and protects its craft against unwarranted regulation restricting its freedom of use as an architectural art form.

What is hard to believe is that there are studios out there who are qualified to be Accredited; who, in theory, support the mission of the Association; who themselves pursue excellence in craftsmanship, integrity and business practices; but who have yet to make the effort to become Accredited and to formally become a part of the work the SGAA does and the ideal for which it stands.

The Stained Glass Association of America is more than 100 years old; it has undertaken countless projects in its long history that have helped shape what the art and craft of stained glass are today, in this country and around the world. Everyone involved in the craft at any level benefits from the work of the SGAA. Being a part of the Association and -- if you're qualified -- being an Accredited Member of the Stained Glass Association of America just makes sense.

[Vic Rothman]

It is interesting that none of the accredited studios (who support the SGAA mission)are willing to spend any time to share their thoughts and expertise on this forum. Next to you (and you are the administrator of the board), I have the most postings here, and I am not accredited.

[Richard Gross]

You are certainly correct that while the Stained Glass Association of America has extremely high craft and business standards for Accreditation, Internet forum activity is not one of those standards. However, I do not see how this in any way can be construed as a "sharing of expertise" or taken to address the question at hand, which was answered days ago.