Window pains: stained glass industry disappearing

From The Wall Street Journal:

After a couple of millennia of sustained popularity, the stained-glass industry is showing serious cracks. Declining church attendance is playing a role, as is the growth of nondenominational congregations like Wave that pine for a more modern aesthetic.

Even churches that want stained glass are increasingly evaluating whether it fits in the budget.

“There’s a cost factor: Can you really afford a $100,000 window?” says Steve Fridsma, principal architect at Elevate Studio, of Grand Rapids, Mich., which specializes in churches.

Mr. Fridsma says not long ago nearly every project that he worked on incorporated stained glass. Now only about 15% of clients ask for it. He says stained glass “may be going the way of the pipe organ.”

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