Bourgie Hall: Music at Heart

Music At Heart
19
EXCEPTIONAL
TIFFANY
WINDOWS
Among the hall’s 81 stained glass windows,
which were fully cleaned and restored, 20
come from the workshops of the Tiffany
Glass and Decorating Company, including
four huge windows nearly four metres high,
which accentuate Bourgie Hall’s spectacular
look. These windows were commissioned in
1896 for the American Presbyterian Church
on Dorchester Street (today René-Lévesque
Boulevard) and were produced mainly
between 1897 and 1904, during the heyday
of the famous New York firm. Following the
merger of the two Presbyterian communities
(Erskine and American) in the 1930s, and
the subsequent demolition of the American
Presbyterian church which housed them, the
stained-glass windows were reinstalled in the
Erskine and American Church in 1937 and 1938.
These stained-glass windows carry the name
of the founder of the studio, New York artist
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), a leader in
American design who became famous for his
Art Nouveau creations and the striking light
effects of his pieces.
A large team worked under Tiffany’s leadership
to create them, including Frederick Wilson, the
studio’s artistic director for nearly 30 years.
At least five of the windows can be safely
attributed to Wilson. The Bourgie Hall Tiffany
windows constitute one of only two of the
firm’s commissions for Canada and one of
the few surviving religious series by Tiffany
in North America. They are characterized
by a milky glass with iridescent, opalesque
reflections. An innovative permanent
backlighting system has been added—a first,
on this scale—allowing audiences to admire
the beauty of the windows during concerts.
Bourgie Hall is an exceptional setting in which
to display these stained-glass windows, which
are part of the collections of the Montreal
Museum of Fine Arts. Their value in the visual
arts and their importance in the history of
art are undeniable. They contribute to the
architectural beauty and unique atmosphere
of Bourgie Hall. In 2010, they benefitted from
an unprecedented restoration by Françoise
Saliou, under the supervision of the MMFA.
Fig. 8
Angel
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), designed by
Frederick Wilson (1858-1932), Angel, Bourgie Hall, MMFA
(formerly the Erskine and American Church), 1904-1905,
leaded glass, made by Tiffany Studios, New York.
MMFA, purchase.
Photo: MMFA, Christine Guest
Fig. 9
Charity
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), designed by
Thomas Calvert (1873- after 1934), Charity, Bourgie Hall,
MMFA (formerly the Erskine and American Church),
about 1901, leaded glass, made by Tiffany Glass and
Decorating Co., New York. MMFA, purchase.
Photo: MMFA, Christine Guest