by Kim A. O'Connell

Princeton University has long upheld the highest standards in scholarship. Now the university reflects similar standards in restoration. The historic Princeton University Chapel has recently undergone a comprehensive overhaul that included one of the largest stained-glass restorations ever attempted.

Designed by noted Gothic revival architect Ralph Adams Cram and completed in 1928, the Princeton University Chapel is heavily used for weddings, musical performances, and commencements in addition to religious services. Decades of wear had left their mark in the exterior stonework, and the chapel's 27 stained glass windows — representing some 10,000 square feet (930 square meters) of leaded glass — were broken or covered in dirt.

To reverse the damage, Princeton officials assembled a multidisciplinary team to handle all aspects of the restoration, with a particular focus on the masonry and stained glass.

The project team included architects Ford Farewell Mills and Gatsch; the Masonry Preservation Group, general contractor and masonry contractor; Femenella & Associates, stained glass managing subcontractor; and other stone and stained glass consultants. Because no single stained glass studio could handle a project of this magnitude, Femenella & Associates oversaw restoration work by studios in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, and France.   >>>

Discuss this article in the Architecture Forum...

The Great West Window of the Princeton University Chapel after restoration. Photo: Calello Photography One of many stained glass windows after restoration. Photo: Calello Photography   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.