Our Windows on the World

All the windows of my heart I open to the day.

John Greenleaf Whittier

Our work at M&A Architectural Preservation takes us across campuses, city streets and state lines to rejuvenate historical buildings. Through the restoration of windows, we have the honor of opening up a building to the bird songs, outdoor landscapes, and the ebb and flow of people and the outside community.

We have multiple jobs at worksites but much of our fine work takes place in our restoration shop, where we have abundant space and all the tools, electrical and traditional, to perform our miracles on woodwork and glass entrusted to our care. We work hard to make it possible for people to see both the beauty of the restored building and for the inhabitants to see the outdoors.

We were touring a group through the workshop in February and realized we were working on at least six different window restoration projects for historical buildings throughout New England.

We are restoring unique transom windows for Yale and diamond windows for the LIUNA training center, both in Connecticut; and classic double-hung windows for classrooms and offices in Reed Hall at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

In Massachusetts we had the privilege of working on stained-glass beauties for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston; restoring decorative wavy glass lights to reinstall above the front entrance to the Worcester Courthouse; restoring a one-of-a-kind, decorative archtop window at the entry of Harvard’s Adams House; and 38 sashes for the monumental windows at the Hamilton Chapel on the campus of Belmont Hill School.

This is just a partial list of our window projects for important historical landmarks, for faculty, students, tourists, walkers and office workers to enjoy. We know our work makes it possible for people to pause, look through windows to the outside, to watch for the mailman or DoorDash or just enjoy the sunset on the horizon.

This Spring of 2020 the international health crisis will affect us all. Let us take heart in writing our blogs or reading books with a window as company; listening to the birds next to an open window; and learning how to occupy the moment, in the moment, by looking through a window to observe the squirrel on the sidewalk.