Sometimes glass breaks beyond repair or is completely missing.  There may also be instances of ill-informed repairs or mismatched replacements made in the past.  Since the objective is to maintain as much of the original fabric as possible, replacing glass is a last resort.  In these cases, the missing pieces will be replicated with all the detail and surface treatment of the original.  To distinguish a replicated piece of glass, the edge of the new piece is signed by the artist, with the name of the studio and the date of replication.  This will not be visible because it will be covered by the lead came, but during repairs in the future, craftsmen will see the signed piece and know that it is not original.  The replicated work will also be noted in the documentation.  To read about paint conservation click here.

On the evening of November 12, 2000, a three-alarm fire caused an estimated $1 million damage to the historic Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Newbury Street. The fire was traced to the church's sacristy, where a bare lightbulb apparently ignited electrical cords stored in a wooden cabinet and spread quickly, said Boston Fire Department spokesman.The fire destroyed a large section of the northeast end of the church. It also caused water and smoke damage throughout much of the building, where the first cornerstone was laid in 1861. Sadly, the fireman had to destroy a large section of a staiend glass window in order to vent the church (see photo below of damaged window). The window was a memorial to Marion Burnham, daughter of Mr and Mrs William A. Burnham, who died in a drowning accident in Lake Champlain in August, 1896. Her family were members of Emmanuel Church and commissioned a stained glass window in her memory, designed by the English firm of Heaton, Butler & Bayne and installed in 1900. The window was removed, crated and kept in storage in the church until 2015 when the church finally decided it was time to restore the damaged window and recreate the destroyed section so that the window could be once agian displayed in its original location.