Built on a wooded hillside, around a courtyard; Sanctuary to right; Sullivan Chapel/Sunday School to left; parish building at center (two large and two small meeting rooms, stage, offices, and kitchen). Exterior walls are Bedford limestone and local Germantown gneiss; roof and spire are copper. General style is Georgian, reminiscent of work of Christopher Wren, but with a mild reflection of the Italian Baroque in details such as the pulpit and curving lintels over the exterior doorways. English 18th Century interior is finished oak with carved ornamentation; ceiling of nave is Chinese Tea-Paper aged to a patina of silver-gold; eight chandeliers are suspended on long chains (each has six upper tiers, six lower tiers). 

Architect: Edmund B. Gilchrist  

 
Photograph by Glo Delamar
Front half of Sanctuary: Taken from Choir Loft

Stained Glass Windows of USG

Worship in the Unitarian Society of Germantown sanctuary is enhanced by the glow of prisms of color. Stained glass windows created by artists of four studios show distinct differences in designs and even in hues. In each, however, there is a balance of warm and cool colors, brilliant and neutral tones, and large and small elements, with an interplay of shapes and sizes that adds to the window's message.

Stained Glass Artists Heaton, Butler, and Bayne Multi-generation London studio, 1855-c1960, from pre-Raphaelite to Art Nouveau; known world-wide. Nicola D'Ascenzo 1871-1954 Primary designer, D'Ascenzo, was a member of USG. He was internationally renowned for both religious and secular windows; among works are Valley Forge Chapel; Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NY; National Cathedral, DC; Folger-Shakespeare Library, DC. William Willet 1867-1921 Portrait painter, then expert in medieval stained glass. (Studio continued under heirs, whose design-teams were mainly anonymous.) Willet did windows of Cadet Chapel at West Point, 1910-1976, longest continuous commission in U.S. Paula Balano 1877-1967 Balano first trained at D'Ascenzo Studios, then set up her own studio. Odell Prather 1912-2001 Was advertising artist and children's story illustrator before she turned to stained glass. Joined Willet in 1951. Colum Sharkey 1922-2000 Designer of church interiors and stained glass. (His father was head designer for D'Ascenzo.) Joined Willet in 1967.

• Nave level = #1; 

• second level = #100;
• third level = #200; 

• C = Chancel;
• R = Right;
•  L = Left; 

• ST = Stairs;
F = Front; 

• CH = Chapel.

Memorial Names 
Names given in parentheses. Windows indicated as "available" may still be given as full-size memorials, or in clerestory, as medallion insets.

Information here is adapted from the "Stained Glass Windows" brochure, 2000. 
Primary window research: Mary Calwell
Sanctuary drawing: John Pron
Editor; Research: Gloria T. Delamar
The brochure is always available in the pew-racks.

Chancel

C100: Good Shepherd (Cyrus H. K Curtis) Apse of Chancel: Jesus the Shepherd with lamb at each side; angels; three women representing faith, prayer, charity. Arched design by Nicola D'Ascenzo of D'Ascenzo Studios, 1928. Surround of mosaics designed in an ancient process containing tiny pieces of gold and colored glass; USG was the first church in the world to have in it gold mosaic made in America; by Nicola D'Ascenzo, Jr., 1930.

R101: Lyre (In honor or gift of Curtis?) Red medallion of lyre; symbols and printers' marks. By Nicola D'Ascenzo of D'Ascenzo Studios, 1928.

Transept 


R102: Virtues of the Heart (Clark I) Three lancets, once separate windows: Devotion depicts woman with cross; Love shows woman with flaming heart; Hope has woman holding anchor. Moved from first USG building in 1928. Designed and made by Heaton, Butler, and Bayne, England, 1883-1904.

R103: Virtues of the Intellect (Clark II) Four-lancet window in Gothic setting: central female figure with other figures representing Justice, Charity, Purity, Truth. Moved from first USG building in 1928. Designed and made by Heaton, Butler, and Bayne, England, 1909.

L101: Motherhood (Beck) Palladian shaped window: large center panel of mother and child; side panel of cross and crown; side panel of open book and lilies. By Nicola D'Ascenzo of D'Ascenzo Studios, 1928.

Nave

All "empty" nave windows are mouthblown glass with stenciled ornamentations; They are "empty" only in the sense that they are not dedicated. 


R1: (empty; available) 


R2: (empty; ventilating window) 


R3: Lilies (Meehan) Female figure carrying and casting flowers; bird flying into nest. By Nicola D'Ascenzo of D'Ascenzo Studios, 1928. 


R4: (empty; ventilating window) 


R5: Red Gothic Medallions (Nietzche II) Six varied medallions in bright hues, with red predominating; set two across/three down. By Paula Balano of Paula Balano Studio, c1962. 


L1: Landscape (Forster II) Landscape with flowing blue river; tree; various kinds of flowers; symbol of candle and entwined rings (troth). Designed by Colum Sharkey of Willet Studios, 1985. 


L2: (empty; ventilating window) 


L3: Parenthood (Forster I) Mother and children with halos; older child offers dove; spinning wheel at side; symbol below of crown. By Nicola D'Ascenzo of D'Ascenzo Studios, 1928. 


L4: (empty; ventilating window) 


L5: Blue Gothic Medallions (Nietzsche I) Six varied medallions in bright hues, with blue predominating; set two across/three down. By Paula Balano of Paula Balano Studio, c1962. 

 

Narthex 


R/ST1; R/ST101; L/ST1; R/ST101 Stairwells leading down and up from narthex; clear glass, 1928. 
R109; L107:Small Portholes Can be seen only from outside (at sides of loft, but concealed when Rieger tracker organ was put in loft in 1963); by Nicola D'Ascenzo of D'Ascenzo Studios, 1928.

 

Clerestory 


Clerestory windows in nave have stenciled backgrounds plus grisaille; acid-etched to lighten shades; geometrical octagon pattern designs randomly set from window to window. Each window has a medium-sized oval memorial medallion with a smaller oval medallion, plus footing for memorial text. As in all the stained glass windows, there are traditional symbols representing various traits, virtues, and ideals. 

 

All backgrounds are by Nicola D'Ascenzo of D'Ascenzo Studios, 1928. 


R104: Daniel (Robertson) Daniel kneeling in prayer in prison flanked by two lions; alpha and omega symbols; palm (martyrdom). Medallions: D'Ascenzo, 1928. 


R105: Knowledge (Allison) Woman holding child; candlestick; lighted lamp (knowledge). Medallions: D'Ascenzo, c1944. 


R106: Jesus Blessing Children (Hallas) Jesus and three children; tulip; three lilies (purity). Medallions: D'Ascenzo, 1928. 


R107: Come Unto Me (Dowd) Seated Jesus with outstretched hands; oxen; yoke. Medallions: Odell Prather, Willet Studios, 1960. 


R108: (empty; medallions available) 


L102: (empty; medallions available) 


L103: (empty; medallions available) 


L104: Truth and Justice (Brady) Jesus seated on bench; cherub holding book as in last judgment; scale of justice; sword, scale, Medallions: D'Ascenzo, 1928. 


L105: St. John (Vine) St. John the Evangelist writing on parchment; city in background (New Jerusalem?); eagle. Medallions: Odell Prather, Willet Studios, 1961. 
L106: Choir (gift of Elizabeth Madeira) Three choir figures in front of organ pipes on bright blue background; scroll of musical notes. Pennant with three triangles on deep red background. Medallions: Colum Sharkey, Willet Studios, 2000. 



Tower

F100: The Sower (Taylor) Male figure with bucket of seeds; birds; sun; tree. In loft; concealed by organ; can be seen from outside front; designed and made by Heaton, Butler, and Bayne, England, 1930. 


F200: Tower Porthole High tower porthole with limestone carved tracery; seen only from outside; by Nicola D'Ascenzo of D'Ascenzo Studios, 1928.

Sullivan Chapel

CH/F1: St. Francis Three-panel door of stained glass; St. Francis figure with outstretched arms; bird at left hand and birds above him; at his feet a wolf (dog); at right a flamingo; at lower left rabbit and squirrel. "Danziger Glass" panels to each side. Though this remarkable window is accessible, it is rarely seen, as it is protected by a movable screen. Designed by Odell Prather of Willet Studios, 1959. 


CH/L1; CH/:2; CH/L3; CH/R1; CH/R2: Other chapel windows are soft brown-rose, hand-blown top metal "Danziger Glass" (a combined "special glass" from England; West Virginia, USA; Danzig, Poland); striations, bubbles, waves, special textures; installed by Willet Studios, 1959.