College of Preachers

1952 – College of Preachers – Refectory

This window marked Rowan’s return to at least the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral.  It is housed in the refectory of the College of Preachers, which sits just behind the cathedral in the same complex.  In the video clip below you can hear rowan talk about how he got the commission from a patron, James Sheldon, who took an interest in Rowan and Irene.  It appears to have been a kind of audition for the cathedral administration to show that Rowan and Irene could indeed do work that was worthy of the cathedral.

The window is an ambiguous abstract design, but in it you can see glimpses of Rowan’s future work at the cathedral.  There are interlacing patterns and rows of sparkly dots that show up in later cathedral windows. 

Another interesting thing to note is the inscription.  Text often appears in Rowan’s windows and in each case he invents is own fonts and designs that fit that particular window.  Look at the text in other windows and you will see it varies quite a bit.

Year Completed

1952

Artists

Rowan LeCompte and Irene Matz LeCompte

Fabricator

Rowan LeCompte and Irene Matz LeCompte

Location In Building

Refectory