Michigan Stained Glass Census

Many of Michigan's stained glass windows are located in places where they are seldom seen. Among such little-known windows are these faceted glass windows at Michigan Memorial Park's Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum. The windows were made with a special slab glass, cut and shaped by carbide hammer into small pieces, which were then faceted by hand to create irregularities that scatter the light. The pieces are held together with an epoxy cement rather than with traditional leading. The windows include religious symbolism as well as images familiar to Michigan, such as the sailboat, water, deer and apple tree.

The circular mausoleum, begun in 1960, was designed by Harley Ellington Associates, Inc. It was completed in 1990 after several changes to the original design. Its eight faceted glass windows and one large leaded stained glass window were created in 1991 by the Conrad Pickel Studio of Vero Beach, Florida. The windows shown above were designed by the late Conrad Pickel (1906-1994), who trained at the Franz Mayer Studios in his native Munich before coming to the United States in 1927. After working at various studios, he began his own studio in Milwaukee in 1947. A branch of the studio at Vero Beach eventually became the permanent location of the firm, now headed by Conrad's son Paul Pickel.

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The Michigan Stained Glass Census is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs