DAR LIBRARY LAY LIGHT REINSTALLATION

(Right) The DAR Library Lay Light prior to the removal of the 25 seriously deteriorated 100-year-old leaded-glass panels and (left) with all of the panels removed while they were being historically restored. The first deteriorated panel was removed in April 2012 and the first fully restored panel was reinstalled in April 2013.

The first batch of restored lay light panels were returned to DAR Headquarters on April 3, 2013. The reinstallation work is being done at nighttime in order to keep the DAR Library open to researchers during the day. The Library attic area also gets extremely hot, so night work helps minimize the extreme temperatures the rigging crew must work in to reinstall the panels.

The restored panels were carefully secured in a moving truck and transported from the restoration studio in Brooklyn, NY to Washington, D.C.

Even the process of unloading the panels from the truck was carefully organized to identify the panels and in which order the panels would be reinstalled.

The men from the Hutchinson United Rigging crew performing the reinstallation carry every panel, weighing over 400 pounds each, by hand – even up the marble steps of the North Portico. It takes no less than six men to move each panel and requires careful coordination and teamwork.

Nine panels can fit in the shed that was temporarily built on the North Portico to hold the panels before they are reinstalled in the ceiling. About two panels can typically be installed in one night.

Each panel is carefully inspected once off the truck to make sure no damage has occurred during transport. Here, Art Femenella and Arthur Femenella, Jr. – who traveled from New Jersey to oversee the first panel reinstallation – inspect the panels with Christman Company engineer Greta Wilhelm.

The two first panels slated to be reinstalled are positioned for easy access at the front of the lay light shed.

The rigging crew must carry the lay light panels by hand from the North Portico, through the Genealogy Offices, and into the DAR Library. The panel is almost as tall as the doorway, so instead of lifting up the panel to carry it, they must slide the panels on blankets along the floor in order to make clearance of the door.

The meticulous process of bringing the panel through the Genealogy Offices door into the DAR Library requires a lot of coordination and direction from the crew in order to not damage the panel, the door frame or the library stacks.

The wooden frames of all of the panels will be repainted by longtime NSDAR painter, Tuncay Gunduz, so they will have a fresh, bright coat of paint. The first panel was painted in the Library, but a system was developed so the other panels could all be painted in the shed prior to being reinstalled.

You can see in this picture the distinction between the old paint and the fresh paint.

Although all of the glass on the panels was painstakingly cleaned at the restoration studio, some dust and dirt developed during transport. So prior to being reinstalled in the ceiling, the glass on each panel was cleaned (with wouldn't you know it – Windex!).

A striking shot of the restored lay light panel in the DAR Library.

The restored panels contain most of the original pieces of the 100-plus-year-old glass, but the difference in the clarity and transparency is obvious when you can see all the way through to the books as it was resting against a book shelf. Also notice the variation in the glass.

The decision was made to restore the lay light panel to its original state, which is believed to be with the metal ornamentation clean of any white paint. When the panels are in the ceiling and light shining through them during the daytime, you couldn't even tell that the ornamentation had at some point been painted white.

The rigging crew has to build a temporary support system on the back of the panel in order to attach a hook and wire to the back of the panel and raise the panel with a mechanical winch.

Art and Arthur Femenella, who oversaw the restoration of the panels, gave tips to the rigging crew for handling of the panel in order to secure its safety as it is raised to the ceiling.

A new rigging method was used as the bar to hook the winch wire to which was more efficient than the original aluminum beams that were used when the panels were first lowered. The aluminum made the panels much heavier, but provided the rigid support needed due to the delicate condition of the lay lights prior to restoration.

The lay light panel ready to be raised to the celing.

The panel slowly begins to be lifted by the winch more than 40 feet above. A new winch was brought in for the reinstallation of the panels so as to not run as fast as the winch that was used to lower the panels. The slower speed helps the rigging crew have more control of the panel when fitting it through the opening. It takes approximately 8-10 minutes from the time the panel first starts to be lifted until the time it is successfully in the ceiling and unhooked from the winch.

Once the panel starts to be lifted, the crew that had been on the ground leave to go up to the attic to support the efforts once the winch raises the panel all the way to the attic area.

Only 1-2 men are needed on the floor to help stabilize the panel with a rope so it doesn't sway as it is being lifted.

The first restored lay light panel being lifted to the ceiling.

A close up shot of the restored panel as it is being lifted 40 feet through the DAR Library.

It's a sight to see the massive glass window hovering over the DAR Library.

The lay light panel entering through the square opening.

The rigging crew takes deliberate efforts to make sure the panel does not bump against the sides of the opening.

Once the panel is all the way through the opening, it is hand lifted by the crew back onto a vertical plane and resting on carpeted steel beams. All of the panels are brought through one central opening where the winch is located, but then the panels must be hand carried to their original placement in the ceiling. The crew must remove the temporary support system that they installed for the lifting process. Then they install temporary handles on the wood frame in order to help the men lift the panel and move it into its proper location in the ceiling.

The first panel installed was a corner panel. This position is one of the most difficult panel positions because the clearance height is so small because of the angle of the skylight above that the crew men don't even have room to stand up straight. You can see in this photo the panel in the process of being shifted to the corner opening. The crew men are resting and they have to bend over because the angled skylight glass is directly above their heads.

The first restored panel is successfully reinstalled! Because it is night, the lay light appears very different from the ground floor without the sun shining through it to highlight the ornamentation.

On the sunny next day, you can see the first two restored panels installed in the far left corner.

It was immediately evident how brilliant the restored and cleaned glass looked – you could see all the way through to the skylight for the first time!

The first batch of nine restored lay lights reinstalled in the DAR Library ceiling. Another batch of restored lay lights is currently in the process of being installed. The entire reinstallation process is expected be complete by May.

Before and after photos of the lay light panels. Can you see the difference?!