Saving Tiffany windows a 'zealous endeavor'

Goshen — At the turn of the century, Tiffany windows were in great demand for American churches. It’s been estimated that 50 percent of these remarkable iridescent church windows have been lost. The First Presbyterian Church, located on Park Place in Goshen, is privileged to have stained glass windows bearing the original signature of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Installed in 1923, three lancet windows, titled “The Resurrection,” and a side window, called “Christ and the Pilgrims, installed in 1930 are now in jeopardy of being irreplaceably damaged because of weak frames that are pulling away from the walls. “We’ve undertaken a zealous endeavor, working industriously to save our windows,” said Loretta Richner, fundraising chairperson at the First Presbyterian Church, speaking at the last Goshen Chamber of Commerce meeting. To raise money for repairs, the church is raffling off the well-known original John F. Gould painting, “The Harriman Fountain.” The painting, created using five mediums, including watercolor, acrylics, soft and hard pencil, and colored pencil, is an accurate representation of Goshen in 1911, explained Robert Gould, the artist’s son. Noting that his father did extensive research before painting, Gould listed the church—accenting the inspiring church spire — the old bandstand, a Goshen-manufactured Coates car, St. James Episcopal Church, as well as the Harriman fountain, included in the painting. The raffle coincides with the 100 anniversary of the dedication of the fountain on Feb. 25, 1911. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the First Presbyterian Church office, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $100 a piece. Call 294-7991 for more information. John Gould was a well-known advertising illustrator and art consultant for the General Electric Company in Erie, Pa., who passed away in 1996. He and his wife, Mary, established the Bethlehem Art Gallery, now located in the hamlet of Salisbury Mills in the town of Blooming Grove. Goshen has already suffered the loss of valuable Tiffany windows. The Haight Estate on Route 207 — now the property referred to as Salesian Park — includes the Haight Mausoleum. Built in 1874, the Gothic revival mausoleum included two round Tiffany windows. Destroyed by vandals sometime in the 50s or early 60s, the windows are now boarded up, never again to have the sun filtering through their shimmering mosaics. Members of the First Presbyterian Church, headed by Richner, are hoping to raise — through this fundraiser and others — the $100,000 needed to repair the windows to prevent them from joining others as valuable Tiffany windows lost forever to the church and the community.