Restoring Light: A Journey Through Time at Hiemer & Company Stained Glass Studio
Hiemer & Company Stained Glass Studio, Clifton, NJ
A few weeks ago, my business partner and I stepped into the luminous world of Hiemer & Company Stained Glass Studio in Clifton, New Jersey, to inspect the painstakingly restored stained-glass panel from Sacred Heart Church, one that was tragically shattered in a fierce windstorm last year. As sunlight danced across the workshop's vibrant fragments, casting jewel-toned patterns on the worn wooden floors, I couldn't shake the profound sense of history pressing in around us. In that space of quiet intensity, where color meets craft, it felt less like a repair job and more like mending a thread in the fabric of time itself.
What unfolds daily at Hiemer's isn't mere restoration; it's a reverent conversation spanning generations of skilled hands. After a full year of meticulous work, we watched as artisans pieced together the broken glass, each curve aligned by seasoned eyes, every lead strip repositioned with surgical care. It was a powerful reminder of why we pour our hearts into historically respectful adaptive re-use development. This is the essence of "doing it right", a craft too vital for amateurs or armchair enthusiasts tinkering in clubhouses. It's about honoring the past with the precision it deserves.
A Studio Rooted in History
Hiemer & Company Stained Glass Studio's story reads like a chapter from an old masterwork, beginning in the shadow of the Great Depression. In the early 1930s, Edward W. Hiemer and his father, Georg, both honed in the rigorous traditions of Munich, Germany, founded their firm in Columbus, Ohio. Fresh from apprenticeships at the renowned Von Gerichten Studios, they refused to let economic hardship snuff out their European heritage. When Von Gerichten shuttered its doors, the Hiemers stepped up, with Edward steering the business side and Georg channeling his genius into design.As America's sacred spaces boomed in the mid-20th century, the family packed up for Paterson, New Jersey, drawn by commissions from the Catholic Church. Their work soon graced churches and monasteries from Boston to Washington, D.C., becoming synonymous with ecclesiastical artistry. By 1950, they settled in Clifton, where the studio thrives today under the stewardship of its fourth generation, a testament to resilience and unwavering commitment.
A Sacred Connection with Jersey City
The Crucifixion, Hiemer and Company, 1948-53
The bond between Hiemer & Co. and Jersey City's Sacred Heart Church dates back to the 1940s, when Dominican friars entrusted the studio with crafting lancet windows for the priory chapel. What started as a single project blossomed into a lifelong partnership, shaping the church's ethereal glow for decades.The postwar era marked a creative pinnacle, with artists like Jacob Renner and Simon Berasaluce, the latter a Spanish virtuoso of faceted glass, infusing the work with bold innovation. Their techniques added depth and drama, blending medieval reverence with modernist flair. Sacred Heart's windows from this time stand as jewels among New Jersey's mid-century ecclesiastical treasures, whispering stories of faith through every shaded facet.
A Legacy Carried Forward
The flame passed steadily: After Edward ("Edi") Hiemer's death in 1969, his son Gerhard ("Gerry") Hiemer expanded the studio's horizons. Then came Judith Hiemer Van Wie, Gerry's daughter, who blended formal training, a business degree from Bryant University, design studies at Parsons, with hands-on apprenticeship in the family trade. Today, Judith and her husband, James Van Wie, helm the operation as proud fourth-generation stewards. Judith dives into liturgical design and fresh commissions, while James champions restorations, grounding every project in both artistic soul and practical wisdom. Whether resurrecting a Victorian-era panel or illuminating a modern sanctuary, they ensure the work resonates with spiritual depth and structural integrity.
Restoration as Shared Purpose
Our time at Hiemer's crystallized how our ethos mirrors this family's dedication. For us, restoration isn't about cloning the past, it's about weaving it into the present, safeguarding a community's soul through its built heritage. Reviving Sacred Heart's stained glass has been a year-long marathon of meticulous documentation, fragment-by-fragment repair, and collaborative expertise from artisans, historians, and conservators. It's a symphony of cross-referenced research and top-tier professionals, each note tuned to authenticity. Now, with the panels restored, when sunlight filters through once more, painting the stone walls in hues of divine inspiration, it will transcend mere fixes. It will reignite a century-spanning dialogue of art, faith, and craftsmanship. And in that glow, we'll see irrefutable proof: When we cherish history with intention, it doesn't just endure, it illuminates the path ahead.
