St. Martin's Episcopal Church
About Willet Stained Glass Studios, Philadelphia, PA

The Windows of St. Martin's Episcopal Church

The Willet Stained Glass Studios was commissioned to create the windows of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church.

The Willet Stained Glass Studios was founded in 1898 by William and Anne Lee Willet in Pittsburgh. William was a designer very much in the Pre-Raphaelite style, and Anne oversaw the business. The Studios first gained significant recognition when it was commissioned to design and install the windows for the West Point Military Academy Cadet Chapel, the longest continuing commission — 66 years — in American stained glass.

In 1913, The Willets returned to Philadelphia. William Willet died in 1921. His wife, Ann and son Henry Lee Willet, whose interest was medieval glass, then ran the Studios. The style of the windows changed during this time to a more Neo-Gothic style.

E. Crosby Willet, grandson of William and Anne Lee Willet, who has been associated with the Studios since 1950, became President of the Willet Stained Glass Studios in 1964. In 1999, Mr. Willet was elected a Fellow of the Stained Glass Association in recognition of his “profound influence on stained glass in America.”

The Willet Stained Glass Studios is a unique organization, composed of thirty-five artists and craftsmen. It is known throughout the United States and the world for restorations and for over thirteen thousand commissions in new stained glass completed since its founding.

Notable commissions of the Studios include:

• Cathedral Saint John the Divine - New York, New York
  
• National Episcopal Cathedral – Washington, D.C.
  
• Grace Episcopal Cathedral – San Francisco, California
  
• Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral – Fargo, North Dakota
  
• The Cadet Chapel U.S. Military Academy – West Point, New York
  
• The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist – Spokane, Washington
  
• Cathedral of Saint Philip – Atlanta, Georgia
  
• Highland Park Presbyterian Church – Dallas, Texas
  
• Grace Cathedral – Topeka, Kansas
  
• Second Baptist Church – Houston, Texas

Iconography
How big are the stained glass windows?

Photos by Martin R.Smith, Jr.