“I noticed that the intensity of the red is greater on this one than it is on that one.”
Preservationist Carol Moore sits on the edge of the stage in the sanctuary of the 150-year-old former Third Reformed Church admiring the newly finished rose windows which was a complicated undertaking.
“It's just interesting, because, you know, art is not a perfect science. But it certainly is lovely. The glass is from 1910.It took a year, taking pieces of glass, sending them back and forth to get close on the colors. They'll never be exact, because they're not aged.”
Kolenda Art Glass restored the windows…
“Each one of these rose windows has 668 individual pieces of glass that are individually leaded together.”
Grand River Builders refitted the massive 10-and a-half-foot round window frames.
“Nothing is round anymore. The building’s been sinking.”
Moore bought the property in 2017 for $100,000, dreaming of a community arts hub.
“We can have everything from concerts to plays, to speaker series, to poetry readings, you name it. Anything in the arts can happen here.”
The next fundraising phase will update the 1875 building’s interior with HVAC, plumbing and accessibility, backed by community donations through a nonprofit collective.
“Neighbors, and citizens, and people who have an interest in music, an interest in the arts in general, or who just appreciate the restoration, have contributed. So we've got well over a million into this building. And we got about five to go.”
For details on the project, history or donations, visit hermitage-at-diamond.org.
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