Povey Brothers Studio

Povey Brothers rose window in Old St. Peter's Landmark, The Dalles, Oregon
Detail of Oregon State Seal skylight in the courtroom of the Oregon Supreme Court Building, Salem, Oregon

Povey Brothers Studio, also known as Povey Brothers Art Glass Works or Povey Bros. Glass Co., was an American producer of stained glass windows based in Portland, Oregon. The studio was active from 1888 to 1928.[1] As the largest and best known art glass company in Oregon, it produced windows for homes, churches, and commercial buildings throughout the West.[2] When the firm was founded in 1888, it was the only creative window firm in Portland, then a city of 42,000 residents.[3]

Povey Brothers was known as the "Tiffany of the Northwest"[4][5] and many of the company's windows still exist in historic buildings throughout the region, including those on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

The windows were considered to have extraordinary quality and beauty, and the firm's work was virtually unequaled in the Pacific Northwest.[3] The heyday of Povey Brothers coincided with the growing economic affluence of the region, and the brothers' work was much sought after by the new rich to decorate the large houses they were building.[3] Of this sort of installation, art glass expert Michael McCary said, "People who put in that kind of glass were kind of showing off."[6] The Great Depression and changes in house styles eventually caused demand for the brothers' work to decline, however.[3] Today Povey Brothers windows are a mark of pride in many landmark buildings in Portland.[3]

  1. ^ "Portland New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". National Park Service. September 1, 1989. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  2. ^ Kreisman, Lawrence; Glenn W. Mason (2007). The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 43, 94, 238–240. ISBN 978-0-88192-849-5.
  3. ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Ann (November 1, 1989). "Historic Church Lost in Fire Featured Fine Stained Glass". The Oregonian.
  4. ^ "Povey Windows–Walking Tour of Downtown Churches" (PDF). News & Notes. Architectural Heritage Center. Summer 2006. p. 8. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  5. ^ McAlester, Virginia; Lee McAlester (1998). A Field Guide to America's Historic Neighborhoods and House Museums: The Western States. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 532. ISBN 0-375-70172-9.
  6. ^ Mullen, Ruth (February 23, 2006). "In a Glass By Itself". The Oregonian.