South West Bay 2 | The Windows of Rowan LeCompte

Photo – Peter Swanson

Southwest, Bay 2

1961 – Church of the Incarnation, Washington, DC

Windows crafted by Rowan and Irene fill both side walls of this modest and unassuming church on the eastern edge of Washington, DC and create a moody, almost mystical light in the space. Irene is likely to have been the principal designer here because we have heard from friends of the family that she really loved to let the glass be its unadorned self in windows. The windows are filled with exquisite artisan glass in warm, rich colors.

This is the bay of windows second-nearest the altar, on the southwest side of the building. In this window, the reds and oranges are more dominant as the transition to dark reds on the whole wall continues. It is interesting to see outside textures from the bricks and columns as well as the nearby trees through the window.

Iconography

We have not yet uncovered any documentation explaining why the windows were created in this abstract style. Part of their beauty resides in the fact that the outside world is visible through them: Leaves blow in the wind, clouds come and go, and signs of weather change. Simply making it possible for churchgoers to worship in this beautiful light, looking out at the changing world through this transition of color, may have been Irene and Rowan’s intent here.