Historic home tour Saturday benefits stained glass rehab

With the late morning sun back-lighting them, the stained glass windows in the sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church look as resplendent as they did when master glassmakers David and John Povey installed them in 1910.

They used warm colors because of the gray days we so often have here, said Lynne Neville, who is a member of the churchs stained glass restoration project.

Started with fundraising in 2011, the project has restored two of the main windows, which were buckling over time due to softening of the leading and came (a kind of putty) that holds the stained glass pieces together.

But a closer look shows that the newly restored windows are cleaner, straighter and let in more light.

The middle panel of one window, the Good Shepherd, is completed, but the side panels feature white boards to hold the place of the glass panels now under renovation by a Mill City stained glass artist.

Still awaiting funding for full restoration is a piece called Jesus Knocking at the Door.

That title inspired the idea for a tour of historic homes and sites to benefit the glass restoration effort, Neville said.

Participants not only will get an inside look at some of Corvallis most significant historic homes, they will get a look at some innovative recent restoration projects.

For example, the 1905-06 Horner House, built by John and Isabelle Horner, whose collection formed the basis for a museum collection, has been occupied by its current owners only since November. They are in the midst of an extensive interior remodel to make the house functional for the 21st century but also preserving its historic features.

Proceeds from the house will go to the Jesus Knocking window restoration, which is set for 2015.

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Historic home tour Saturday benefits stained glass rehab