Grant will help preserve rare stained-glass windows
Expert will restore historic Christ Church 19th-century windows

This window is one of eight rare stained-glass windows at Christ Church in Shrewsbury that will be restored with grant monies.

SHREWSBURY - Restoration of Christ Church's historic stained-glass windows took another step forward with the award of a $5,000 grant from the Monmouth County Historical Commission and the signing of a contract with Arthur J. Femenella, Branchburg, one of the nation's foremost stained-glass preservationists, as project manager for the restoration.

The grant, awarded Jan. 28, is conditional on the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders appropriating the funds, according to Randall Gabrielan, the commission's executive director.

In April 2007, Christ Church Episcopal was selected by the N.J. Historic Trust to receive a $50,000 matching grant to preserve the rare set of Gothic revival stainedglass windows that date fromthemiddle of the 19th century.

The windows flank the nave of the historic 238-year-old church at the corner of Route 35 and Sycamore Avenue in the historic Four Corners district.

The grants will be used to preserve the eight double-lancet windows that grace the nave of the church. Preservation of the windows will also contribute significantly to the artistic and historic integrity of the sanctuary.

Christ Church, which was established Christmas Day 1702, is one of the oldest Episcopal parishes inNew Jersey. Its building, begun in 1769, is one of only eight designed by the noted colonial architect Robert Smith.And it is one of only two that retains nearly all its interior fittings.

Together, the windows, all of which date from the 1860s and 1870s, are considered by experts to be a prime example of 19thcentury stained-glass craftsmanship.

Femenella, who is currently involved in restoring the skylights on the

U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., has an outstanding record in the field of stained-glass restoration. Among the projects for which he and his firm have been principal consultant and contractor are the windows at PrincetonUniversity Chapel, to date the largest stained-glass restoration in the United States; the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.; and the dome ceiling at the Old Patent Building at the Smithsonian Institution in Washingtona, D.C.

He has also been involved in preserving windows at the TiffanyMasterworks Exhibition at the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y.

"The [Christ Church] windows are very good quality," Femenella said.

"They work well with the architecture in a symbiotic relationship."

Femenella will be presenting a program on stained-glass preservation, which will be open to the community, at Christ Church in the near future.