We are a proud member of the Scottish Stained Glass family of companies here at Colorado Springs Stained Glass. This allows us to take part in many interesting and amazing historical stained glass restorations, repairs, and, in the case of Sam Houston State University, recreations. This project is just the latest example of how our job is to breathe new life into structures like churches, synagogues, historic homes, and universities around the country.
Replicating Sam Houston State’s Historic Stained Glass Windows
Founded in 1879, Sam Houston State University is one of the oldest schools in Texas. The original campus was dotted with lovely brick structures, some of which had stained glass in soaring arched windows. these windows were iconic to the school and something they were proud of. Sadly, much of the cherished stained glass was destroyed in a fire in 1982. Recently SHSU chose to have one of the original stained glass windows recreated to commemorate their school motto “The measure of a Life is its Service”. They happily entrusted us with the honor of preserving the legacy of their stained glass and their amazing organization.

The First Challenge of Restoring Sam Houston State University’s Lost Stained Glass
Since the window they chose was completely destroyed–there were some inherent challenges in this project. We had nothing physical to replicate so we turned to historical documentation–of which there was very little. This meant we would have to innovate and work with what we had– a single color photo from a 1962 yearbook.
Modern Technology for Restoring Stained Glass
We used modern technology to get the design dialed in. We scanned the yearbook picture into the computer then printed it out full-sized. We then carefully traced [...]