Reviving history: old and new at the Burleson House

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is, "Do you repair stained glass?" It’s so common that I just shared about it in my blog post on June 5! As I mentioned then, my answer is almost always no. However, when the Enola Group approached me after their recent purchase of the Burleson House, my response was, "Well, if we can repurpose it to make something better..."

The Burleson House, built in 1891 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is undergoing a major rehabilitation. Ultimately this beautiful home will serve as a community meeting place, house offices, a drop-in childcare site, an art gallery for clients, and a working art studio. They are being thoughtful about what historic pieces they can salvage and asked me to look at these very old windows, which I jokingly suggested were held together with spider webs. I designed an arrangement where these old windows will frame a new leaded glass window that I am creating, incorporating the Enola Group's logo. The five windows will make up the entire top section of a back wall, allowing people to look out onto the lovely shaded backyard and future garden area. In this photo above, I had finished restoring the lead, re-cementing them, and preparing them for their new life. The new leaded glass window will be designed to fit into the opening that will be built by their talented construction team.

These windows are just a small piece of the historic charm that is being preserved at the Burleson House. Once all the repairs and updates are complete, there will be a community open house, either late this year or in 2025. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project!