The use of stained glass windows in churches:
Before we talk about Conrad Schmitt studios, let’s talk about stained glass.
Stained glass windows had a purpose other than physical beauty. They originally served to illuminate spiritual mysteries and educate an illiterate medieval populace, where very few people could read. The windows helped tell the Biblical stories that they heard about from the pulpit. Over the centuries, stained glass windows remained iconic features of sacred architecture. Documented stained glass dates back to 7th-century England (e.g., the monastery of St. Peter in 675 AD). The oldest surviving complete pictorial windows are the 11th-century prophet windows at the Augsburg Cathedral in Germany.
Today, stained glass windows continue to be produced, especially by one very well-known company…Conrad Schmitt Studios.
About Conrad Schmitt Studios:
Born in 1867, Conrad Schmitt Jr. founded Conrad Schmitt Studios in 1899. In 1909, Conrad’s sons joined the studio. The Studio’s roots can be traced to ecclesiastical and decorative art, stained glass, and interior design. Preserving the past through comprehensive investigation, analysis, and documentation is a vital component of the Studio’s business.
Conrad Schmitt Studios has conserved stained glass windows designed by famous artists such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, Thomas O’Shaughnessy, John LaFarge, F.X. Zettler, and Mayer of Munich; and restored theaters designed by architects Rapp & Rapp, John Eberson, C. Howard Crane, and Thomas Lamb, and religious and secular buildings designed by Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and others.
In addition to conservation and restoration, the Studio has designed and created art glass and interiors for buildings of architectural and historic significance throughout the U.S. and abroad, including basilicas, cathedrals, churches, synagogues, theaters, train stations, hotels, universities, state capitols, and government buildings.
Conrad’s sons Rupert, Edward and Alphonse joined the family business. In 1914 the Studio moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. World War I caused significant changes to the economy, affecting import tariffs and the availability of labor. In response, the Studio expanded its offerings to include furniture, fitments, lighting, and sculpture in addition to decorative painting and stained glass. They opened their New York Branch office in 1926.
In 1933, under the economic stress of the Great Depression, Alphonse left the Studio to start his own decorating business and the New York branch closed. In 1936 Bernard O. Gruenke began work for Conrad Schmitt Studios. In 1940 Conrad Schmitt passed away, with a lifetime legacy of having completed work at 33 Catholic cathedrals nationwide. Leadership of CSS is assumed by Rupert and Edward Schmitt.
World War II saw many studio employees participate in the war effort, from painting ships to active service overseas. Edward Schmitt passed away in 1945 and in 1946 the studio relocated. After World War II, post-war prosperity and the proliferation of new suburban churches contributed to the Studio’s growth. In 1948 Bernard O. Gruenke branched out on his own, opening the independent church decorating company, Bernard O. Gruenke Studios. Bernard O. Gruenke returned to studio (1950)
In 1953 Rupert Schmitt passed away and Bernard O. Gruenke assumes ownership of the Studio. After being inspired by European glass artists, Bernard O. creates the first dalle de verre or “slab glass” window in the United States. A “slab glass” window—more commonly known by its French name, dalle de verre (meaning “glass slab”)—is an architectural art glass technique. Instead of using thin, flat sheets of glass held together by lead strips, it uses thick chunks of colored glass set into a matrix of heavy epoxy resin or concrete
In 1957 Bernard E. Gruenke began a formal apprenticeship at the Studio and joins his father in experimenting with slab glass and metal sculpture.
In 1973 the Studio was moved to New Berlin, Wisconsin. Bernard O. Gruenke and his son Bernard E. Gruenke, Jr. patented the Leptat technique (derived from a Czech word meaning “to etch”) in the 1970s. Inspired by traditional Czech glass art, the technique yields a three-dimensional crystalline finish that sparkles and catches light like a cut jewel.
Restoration of the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee was later recognized as one of the first major milestones in the movement to preserve America’s historic theaters.
Bernard E. Gruenke assumed leadership of the Studio. Bernard O. remains involved as President Emeritus. Bernard E.’s children, B. Gunar Gruenke and Heidi Gruenke Emery join the Studio, learning various facets of the business. For the next thirty years, three generations of the Gruenke family are actively involved in Studio operations.