DAYTON – The brilliance of the four large historic stained glass windows at the Dayton First Christian Church has been restored and preserved thanks to a grant from the Warren Community Action Fund.

The church applied for and received the grant last year. Associated Crafts, of Winona, Minn., a company specializing in stained glass restoration, agreed to discount the cost of the restoration project to the amount of the grant. The work was completed in March.

The stained-glass windows were previously re-cemented and plexiglass protective coverings installed in 1985. Since then, the coverings deteriorated due to discoloration and corrosion caused by the weather. The windows also developed spots of bulging and warping.

Associated Crafts personnel removed the tarnished protective coverings, installed steel structural support bracing on the bulging sections, re-cemented the exterior surface of the stained glass and installed new acrylic protective coverings on the outside of the windows. During the process some wooden window trim had to also be replaced.

The windows were originally installed when the church was built in 1908. Records show that they were built by Povey Brothers, from Portland. It has been estimated that the original cost was probably about $700 in 1908. In 1985 the windows were appraised at $75,000.