Windows are a big part of how people view the world. Adrian English has dedicated his life to making sure the view is beautiful. The owner of Glass Heritage LLC at 3030 Hickory Grove Road in Davenport, English works year-round to restore windows in the community.
The windows are appreciated all year long but when the sun is shining in the spring and summer, English's company is at its busiest while the weather is just right for the job. Glass Heritage owner Adrian English shows off the beginning of a restoration project which will be dipped in the water bath next to it while taking it apart to keep lead debris from spreading throughout the workshop. "A lot of the work that we do is outside," he said.
"We love doing smaller projects, but we cater to the bigger projects." Locally, that has translated to windows all over the Quad-Cities and the George M. Curtis mansion in Clinton.
The 1883 home was built for the famous lumber baron and features more than 40 stained glass windows. In 2009, Glass Heritage took on one of its largest projects to date: a 25-foot tall window designed by renown Iowa artist Grant Wood. The only window Grant ever designed, it was in the first floor of the Veterans Memorial Building/City Hall building in Cedar Rapids when it was damaged by a severe flood.
That project "put us on the map" English said, but St. John's, Holy Family and First Presbyterian churches in Davenport have also been clients of his. Most of the time, the windows already exist and Engl.