Darrell Irla II, with Bovard Studio stained glass in Iowa, applies a two-part epoxy to repair the wood frame of a stained glass window at St. Joseph Church in New London on Thursday, May 7, 2015.  Work to restore the windows and stone work of the church, built in 1909, began in September 2014 and is scheduled to be completed in the fall.

The work was necessary after the mortar for the granite stones of the church bell tower had deteriorated, destabilizing about 30 feet of the tower. The mortar on that section of the tower was beyond repair and was removed. Due to the condition of the mortar, there was also water damage to the wood frames around the stained glass windows and inside the church.  Other work included repairing the Spanish tile roof where needed and the flat roof was resurfaced.

Masons, with G.L. Capasso Restoration, are repointing the mortar of the granite blocks, and have replaced damaged terracotta with new limestone, replaced buttress caps and a Celtic cross, and rebuilt four buttresses on the tower. Stained glass artisans, with Bovard Studio Stained Glass, are repairing the stained glass and window frames of the 44 windows as needed — and all the windows are being reputtied as well as cleaned.