By Rob Alvey

The Tiffany Studios stained glass window at St. Paul's Chapel Garden City has another "treasure" in its possession, a marvelous and historic stained glass window in the St. Paul's School chapel by Tiffany Studios. This was revealed by Franklin Hill Perrell, Chief Curator of the Nassau County Museum of Art at the November 6 lecture on "Tiffany and the Gilded Age" at the Garden City Historical Society. The character of Tiffany's glass, which defies duplication, is an apt reference for the art of the period. The sale and installation of the glass at St. Paul's School in Garden City is noted in the Tiffany Studios catalogue, a time honored source book for authentication. Installation of another Tiffany Studios stained glass piece was also noted at the former St. Mary's School. Sadly, that piece was reportedly destroyed with the other windows when that building was demolished for new housing.

Many of the stained glass windows at the St. Paul's historic chapel have been deteriorating significantly since the building and grounds were bought by the Village. A December 2003 NY Times article noted "closer inspection of the chapel quickly reveals evidence of years of disuse.... The pipe organ is covered in dust, and the lead in one of the stained-glass windows has started to peel away from the glass." Glass shards were observed on the floor. Most of the windows were manufactured by the popular firm of Clayton and Bell, and village officials reportedly felt they had no value, and refused requests to remove or preserve the windows to prevent further damage. The Tiffany Studios window, however, is a prized work of art, and remained in good shape when photographed in 2004.

Franklin Perrel noted the efforts that went into assembling the current "Tiffany and the Gilded Age" exhibit at the Nassau County Museum included an assessment whether to spend $12,000 to remove and ship a classic Tiffany window from a cathedral in The Bronx for the exhibit so that the public could view the classic works up close until the exhibit closes January 9. Perrel discussed the loss of Louis Comfort Tiffany's own priceless and innovative home, Laurelton Hall by fire after a decade of neglect. Only years later, did the public begin to appreciate the historic value of that building, and the few artifacts that had been rescued are now on display in museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Village Trustees have been debating and fighting with each other and preservation advocates for well over a decade on various ideas to reuse the building, and the Village is attempting to get around a New York State law strictly requiring public use. A public opinion vote, scheduled in early December, (which isn't binding) offers a choice of merely giving up the building to a private developer or demolishing it. In that alternative, presumably, this valuable piece of Tiffany art would be demolished as well.