The plans for the Liebskind addition - ‘ Renaissance ROM’ included the restoration of original buildings. The Queen’s Park Entrance was chosen as part of this project.

The 1931 Chapman & Oxley addition to the ROM includes an ambitious carved stone entrance façade with a nearly 300 square foot stained glass* window lighting the vast rotunda and it’s gold and glass mosaic.

The scope of this report includes the stained glass window with it’s metal armature and the windows of the restored wood doors.

* the window cannot be considered a true ‘stained’ glass window because it does not employ the practice of silver-staining, however the contemporary idiom of the term includes all leaded glass whether painted, stained, coloured or clear.

The windows above the main entrance are composed of three lites, each approximately four foot wide by twenty-four foot high. Each of these lites are separated into six panels approximately four-foot square, separated by steel t-bars. these large panels are comprised of unpainted coloured glass set in a substantial ( ¾ inch) lead with an internal steel re-bar. the 4 ft. panels comprise a pattern repeated throughout the scheme with little variation.

The windows had suffered immensely throughout the years. displaying not only cracked and filthy glass, but also extreme bowing and substantial lead fatigue. the bowing was as far as eight inches out of plane in some panels. the lead came was stretched beyond their ability and caused great cracks along many of the soldered joints.

After documentation of in situ conditions the panels were removed from the metal frames and transported to the studio of vitreous glassworks. The panels were further documented with photos and rubbings before soaking in an orvus bath (ie. a bath of a conservation grade detergent commonly used in paper & textile restoration). The panels were then fully dismantled with the exception of the central bird motifs.

The central motif assembly was constructed of much smaller pieces with an interlocking pattern of smaller lead came. these portions exhibited little if any distress and provided an opportunity to reglaze the window with a small portion of the original came intact.

The rest of the glass was gently coaxed from the lead and individually clean and rinsed with distilled water. each piece being placed in it’s corresponding ‘home’ on one of the rubbings, ready for leading up.

A strengthened custom came was designed for the new lead. A restoration grade recipe was utilized which consisted of a higher antimony content to resist environmental degradation. The profile designed was visually identical with an allowance for a stronger galvanized internal reinforcement-bar.

Whilst leading up of the windows continued, other structural improvements were debated: leaded glass windows will eventually buckle, the freeze thaw cycles of our winter climate catalyze this degradation. The new structural improvements must delay this action whilst not impacting upon the original design.

The route chosen combined the re-inforced lead came with web soldered ties attached to steel re-bars. these custom re-bars were roll-formed and welded to match the pattern of the leading, making them an inapparent addition. the existing t- bars and metal stop were replaced with stronger epoxy coated equivalents fastened with stainless steel. the frame was cleaned and prepped with rust reformer and enamel paint.

The reassembled leaded panels were weatherproofed with a traditional linseed oil based glazing compound, cleaned and allowed to set before re-installation. the exterior metal framework was finished with a colour matched epoxy paint.

The re-installation was quite a crowd pleaser to the point where the restoration team was photographed for the cover of The Toronto Stars GTA Section.

The original six oak doors had been replaced with glass during a previous renovation. Four of the originals were reclaimed from the vaults of the building and were restored these with necessary repairs and now hang as per the original intent of the architect.

The small 11” x 11” windows of each door had beautiful cast aluminum grilles mounted over glass. Since not all of the aluminum panels were available for reinstallation, it was decided to replace them with cast glass reproductions.

The original grilles were pressed into casting sand. Molten glass was then poured into the carbonized impressions to create a precise replica of the original grilles in clear textured glass. The hot pieces were then removed from the mould and annealed. After a few days the results were warm to touch and readied for installation into the restored doors.

The result is the rejuvenation of an integral part of a Toronto landmark. The original window receives a more supportive armature without altering the original appearance and the doors receive a cast glass impression made from the lost originals.

Edwin Rowse, ERA Architects
Michael McClelland, ERA Architects
Lindsay Reid, ERA Architects

Jury Comments

The jurors were pleased to see the quality of restoration work at a site making headlines for its modern addition.