WHAT: Dedication of Stained Glass Windows in Thompson Hall, University of New Hampshire
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Thursday, June 28, 2007
WHERE: Thompson Hall
DETAILS: UNH will dedicate period reproductions of historic stained glass windows in Thompson Hall, the oldest building on campus. Gov. John Lynch will join J. Bonnie Newman, outgoing interim president of UNH, for the dedication. Other dignitaries participating in the dedication are Andrew Lietz, chair, University System Board of Trustees; Holly Peterson Breeden ’73, niece of The Honorable Walter R. Peterson; and Stuart Meurer, senior project manager, Shawmut Design and Construction
The Thompson Hall stained glass windows were underwritten by the following individual and corporate donors: J. Bonnie Newman in honor of her parents, William and Louise Newman; John H. Lynch ’74 and Dr. Susan E. Lynch, in honor of Mary Louise Hancock ’42; Holly Peterson Breeden ’73, in honor of her uncle, Walter R. Peterson; The Cheviot Corporation; KSD Custom Wood Products, Inc.; Kaloutas Painting; Haven Restoration; Structures North Consulting Engineers, Inc.; and Shawmut Design and Construction.
BACKGROUND
Historic Thompson Hall was completed in 1893. With its clock tower, cruciform
layout, and six stained glass windows, it was designed in a popular medieval
style as a sort of cathedral of learning. The oldest building on campus,
it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building has undergone its first comprehensive exterior restoration, carefully replicating original materials to bring Thompson Hall back to its original splendor. A finishing touch was to design, fabricate, and install historic replications of the stained glass windows, which apparently were removed in the 1940s or ’50s during a previous renovation.
To recreate the windows, a stained glass historian researched cathedral glass from the period. Using historical archive data, enlarged black and white photographs, original building specifications, and blueprint elevations, the historian determined the color palette. Glass types and colors are based on those used in decorative American windows of the 1890s.
RSVP: Reporters planning to attend the dedication should RSVP to Lori Wright at lori.wright@unh.edu or 603-862-0574.
