North East Bay 1 | The Windows of Rowan LeCompte

Photo – Peter Swanson

Northeast, Bay 1

1961 – Church of the Incarnation, Washington, DC

Irene and Rowan crafted two banks of windows that fill the northeast and southwest walls of this modest, unassuming church on the eastern edge of Washington. In the interior, these windows create a moody and almost mystical light. It is possible that Irene, rather than Rowan, was the principal designer here, since we have been told by friends of the family that she really loved to let the glass be its unadorned self in windows. Certainly the glass in these windows is exquisite: artisan glass rich with color.

This is the bay of windows nearest the altar on the northeast side of the church. Like its counterpart on the southwest side, the window is light and airy. Also akin to the progressive changes along the other wall of windows is a color transition that begins here with light yellows and proceeds to the deeper reds, and then back to oranges and yellows. The reds in the windows here never get as dark as those on the southwest side, and the transition toward darker hues happens earlier in the progression along the wall of windows. What is most striking about the windows in this bay, however, is the texture of the glass. Each window has its own unique texture that is just wonderful to look at up close.

Iconography

These are unadorned, abstract windows, and no documentation has yet come to light to explain as to why they were created in this style. Part of their beauty, however, comes from the fact that the outside world is visible through them, and what happens in the world is reflected in the shifting patterns in the glass. Giving worshipers the opportunity to sit surrounded by this beautiful light and view at the changing world through this transition of color may have been the overarching intention behind Rowan and Irene’s design.