Robert Weissmann, glass artist and expert in stained glass, works on a portion of one of the windows from St. Theresa's Academy in his studio in Medicine Hat.--NEWS PHOTO GILLIAN SLADE
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
A piece of Medicine Hat’s architectural history has finally returned home and is being made available to Hatters.
In 1913 St. Theresa’s Academy was built above Altawana Drive, east of Division Avenue, dominating the skyline with stained glass windows that had been made in France. When the building was demolished in 1973 the stained glass windows not only left Medicine Hat, but also the province.
Robert Weissmann, a glass artist who did restoration of the stained glass windows in Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church, St. John’s Presbyterian Church and St. Barnabas, first heard of the St. Theresa’s windows about a decade ago when he lived in Victoria, B.C.
The windows had been purchased by a man there whose wife had at one time attended the academy. Weissmann inspected the windows at someone’s request but then forgot about them.
He later moved to Medicine Hat and was told that the windows were now in local storage and it was likely they were going to be sold to someone some distance away.
Weissmann bought them.
“I didn’t want to see them leave town again. They came here in 1913 from Reims, France,” said Weissmann.
There are five windows in total. Three are four feet wide by 16 feet high, and two are 20 feet high. From a photo of St. Theresa’s Academy (from the Esplanade Archives) taken in 1955 you can see some have a cathedral-shaped top.
They had experienced some deterioration while in storage and while transported. They were all still in the original wooden frames when shipped to Medicine Hat in 1913.
Weissmann says efforts were made locally, before he bought them, to use the windows in local buildings, but those efforts were not successful.
As Weissmann carefully removed the frames the full extent of the condition of the windows became apparent. He says over time the lead in between the glass pieces deteriorates.
He is in the process of carefully restoring each one piece by piece. He is also able to adjust the size of the windows in the process to make the overall size more appropriate for a private residence or more conventional building. He is hoping the cathedral-shaped tops could be hung in a building where everyone could enjoy them. He will also restore the wood and use it to make new frames for the new sizing.
“I want to keep it as original as possible,” said Weissmann, who can even restore a window and make it a specific size to suit an individual’s requirements.
Ideally the stained glass window should hang in the frame of an existing window, he says.
For this glass artist who apprenticed in Toronto 40 years ago, it is a delight to be touching the pieces of glass that were first cut more than a century ago. He says he can even tell when a piece was probably not cut by the original master because it may have a slight irregularity on the edge.
The windows also tell him another story. For the workmen on the building site in 1913 there must have been some challenges installing them. The small repairs to correct a little damage here and there is still in the DNA of the windows.
Weissmann is willing to work with anyone locally who wants to own a piece of Medicine Hat history and a beautiful work of art. He can be reached at his local studio Weissmann Glassworks, 250-383-4197.
His website: http://www.weissmannglassworks.com/
Additional information:
– There is a story online about the work Earl and Judy Morris did in 2016 regarding the windows. The story includes details of how the windows were removed in the demolition.
https://www.medicinehat.ca/home/showdocument?id=10842
– There is one other piece of St. Theresa’s Academy that has been preserved by St. Patrick’s Church. The cupola, seen in the photo, had been stored on the grounds of Medicine Hat College for many years but in 2016 it was placed in the garden at St. Patrick’s Church and blessed in a special ceremony.
– You can see a post card photo from 1928 of St. Theresa’s Academy, that shows it’s location in relation to Finlay Bridge and St. Patrick’s:
http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/PC/004/PC004284?locale=fr
