Mosaic & Historical Architecture

stained glass repair

St. Augustine Glass Façade Mosaic

 
St. Augustine by the Sea’s 1967 church was rebuilt after a devastating fire ravaged the Santa Monica congregation’s 1875 building. The five-tiered Great West Window is a two story high depiction of Jesus in mosaic stained glass that is one of the church’s most iconic features. RLA was brought in to address cracking, delamination, complete detachment, and loosening of the glass elements. A prior restoration done in the 1990s had left yellowed adhesive underneath the tiles that was disturbing the aesthetic read of the translucent glass tesserae and was difficult to solubilize. Approximately 50% of the tiles required stabilization treatment, which included removing and resetting loose tiles, substituting poorly matched replacements, and injecting behind slightly loose tiles in order to stabilize them.
 
RLA achieved this work by cutting away mortar along the top edges of tiles and injecting adhesive into the void between the glass and mortar. The adhesives had been tested and utilized by the Getty Conservation Institute and LACMA at Watts Towers in Los Angeles. The effect restored a much beloved feature of this vibrant congregation.