Restored Our Lady of Czestochowa window.

On a busy Saturday morning in the Strip you are likely to see people popping in and out of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church as part of their shopping trip or after breakfast at one of the local restaurants. Some pause to say a prayer or light a candle, while others spend time walking through our historic church admiring the unique art and architecture. Of particular interest to many visitors are the vibrant stained-glass windows that are original to the current church building.

Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish, today part of the Shrines of Pittsburgh, was founded in 1875 as the first ethnic Polish parish in Pittsburgh. The first church building was located on Penn Avenue between 15th and 16th streets. In 1887 a combined church-and-school building was built at 22nd and Smallman streets. Finally, in 1892 the current church structure was completed on the corner of 21st and Smallman streets. The church predates the produce terminal and the cork factory buildings and must have been quite a sight rising above the industrial and residential structures in the Strip District.

Michael McEllhattan, Renaissance Glassworks manager, resoldering a restored panel for the St. Rose of Lima window.

While many of the appointments in the church building were constructed locally, for its windows the parish turned to the Royal Bavarian Art Institute for Stained Glass in Munich, Germany. As parish sacristan and historian Derris Jeffcoat explains, “The institute, founded in 1827 by King Ludwig I, was known for high-quality stained glass in the ‘Munich style,’ which allowed for extremely detailed depictions of their sacred subjects.” Often depicting saints of the Catholic Church, including a number of Polish saints, the windows in Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church seem to come to life as the light hits them and illuminates the rich colored glass. “Designed by stained-glass artist Frank Xavier Zettler, the windows have a unique sense of perspective, with background objects portrayed at different scales than those in the foreground—thus giving a scene a very realistic sense of depth,” Jeffcoat adds. The Munich windows were completed and installed in time for the dedication of the new church building in 1892 and continue to delight all who gaze upon them.

However, as the parish prepared to celebrate the 130th anniversary of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church (which took place in 2022), it became more and more apparent that a full restoration of the stained-glass windows was desperately needed. Lead seams in the windows were failing and the wood frames were extremely deteriorated. In some instances, panels of colored glass were either cracked or missing. The windows on the Smallman Street side of the church were in particular need of repair, and so it was decided to begin a campaign to raise money to restore the windows on that side of the church building. The campaign commenced in February 2020 with an initial goal of $750,000. Unfortunately, the recent pandemic quickly put our plans on hold, as we worked throughout the year to adapt to the different closures and restrictions that were required of us.

Deni Laskey Few of Renaissance Glassworks reassembling the top portion of a stained-glass window on the layout cartoon.

In early 2021, the five-year campaign went into full swing with a new goal of $1,000,000 due to the rising costs in material and labor. Since then, a committee of parishioners has worked hard to solicit donations from within the parish, from visitors, from neighbors in the Strip, and from philanthropic organizations and foundations. To date, we have raised over $700,000 towards our goal, including a $100,000 Keystone Historic Preservation Grant from the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission. We continue to seek grants and gifts both large and small to help us reach our fundraising goal.

With a significant portion of the funds raised we have been able to complete some of the restoration work, and more progress is made each day. As of December 2023, all the windows on the main level of the Smallman Street side of the church have been restored. The work was completed by Renaissance Glassworks, Inc., of McMurray. H. B. Mertz, president of Renaissance Glassworks, sees the window project not just as the restoration of historic artifacts, but as leaving a legacy for our church family and for our Strip District community.

Beginning in January 2024, the restoration work now moves upstairs to the balcony level of the church. The upstairs windows are larger, more challenging to access, and are often in poorer condition than those on the main level. The restoration of these windows will not only involve Renaissance Glassworks, but also Bryn Enterprises, LLC, of Export, which will totally rebuild the wood frames before the restored glass panels are reinstalled. Barring any unforeseen delays, the work on the upstairs windows should be completed in three to four years.

Reinstallation of St. Barbara and St. Philomena windows.

The restoration of our historic stained-glass windows is truly a labor of love. Our church family invites you to visit the church any time in order to see the progress being made on the windows, to appreciate the work that has already been completed, and to worship with us in thanksgiving for all our many gifts, including our beautiful church building and welcoming faith community. We also invite you to make a financial contribution to our stained-glass-window campaign so that we can realize our goal and leave a legacy for generations to come. Donations can be made at pghshrines.org/stained-glass-campaign or by calling the parish office at 412-471-4767. All donations are tax-deductible.

Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church and the Munich windows are yet another reason why the Strip District is one of a kind. We hope that you will stop by and see for yourself.