AUBURN - Willard Chapel is certainly a unique treasure as one of the handful of surviving examples of the work of Louis Tiffany and the Tiffany glass studio.

As part of a continuing series, which Willard Chapel began hosting last year with Tea and Architecture, looking at some of the historical homes on South Street, it was decided this year to focus on Tea and Tiffany.

On Sunday afternoon, Jerome Durr, of Durr Studios, in Syracuse, presented a talk on Tiffany, glass making and restoration and preservation process involved with the windows in Willard Chapel.

Kathy Walker, executive director of Willard Chapel, said this was the second in the series of presentations. She added that Durr was the ideal candidate to discuss this particular topic, especially in the chapel.

“His studio won the bid to do our windows two years ago,” Walker said. “Phase one of that project was to work on seven of the windows and to put a protective glaze on all the windows. And we are now going into the final phase of the project with the last few windows. He has done great work and it seemed like the perfect person to have this talk on restoration and the techniques involved with that whole process here and in general.”

Durr began with a brief talk about Tiffany himself and the times he worked in.

“It was really cutting edge,” Durr said. “For example, the stone cutting tools used to cut the stones in this building were brand new at the time. They had never existed before. And the same thing was happening with the windows. This was during the Industrial Revolution. And there was the old school of blown glass and then there was this new machine that was just starting to happen.”

Durr also said during this period, photography was starting to become more prevalent, which inspired glassmakers to play with the ideas of realism and imagery in their pieces.

“Glass is unique,” Durr said. “You are dealing with reflected light and transmitted light. So both sides of the canvas have to look good.”

Tiffany was fortunate to be able to travel and paint all over the world, influences that according to Durr can be seen in the windows at Willard Chapel.

“This was a time when the abstract impressionists were happening,” Durr said. “Tiffany himself traveled to North Africa and spent time painting. And you can see that Moorish, Greek influence in the design of these windows, with all the interlocking lines.”

While they are often used synonymously, Durr said that there is a distinct difference between restoration and conservation. Durr said that restoration is to bring a piece back to its original state, while preservation is to keep it in its natural state and working to prevent further deterioration from occurring.

On this project, Durr said that he use a combination of these two ideas when working with the chapel's windows.

This can be a difficult process, especially given the nature of artistic glass works and glass itself.

Durr explained that some of the pieces, such as the large windows of Jesus on the back wall of the chapel, were made out of many layers of glass in different styles and formats , from opalescent glass to drapery glass, to give the piece texture.

“So much affects glass,” Durr said. “Just air pressure. Think of the winds and the difference in air pressure outside as opposed to inside. There is so much that affects windows.”

While much of Durr's work is imperceptible - and as far as he is concerned that is the idea -he did give an example of something he did at the chapel.

Durr pointed to two of the windows that had been damaged by pellets from a B.B. gun.

“We use a silicon glue,” Durr said. “And then I thought why don't we mix the glass with the silicon and see how it reacts. And really you wouldn't notice, but as soon as I point it out you'll say of course that is where a B.B. hole would be. But the process, I think, has worked really well.”

Durr said that while many in his field will use substances designed to be permanent fixes, he prefers to take a different route, such as in the restoration of a painting.

“All of these processes are reversible,” Durr said. “So that if 100 years from now the next person to work on these windows has a better process they will be able to undo this and try their new process without hurting the glass.”

Durr said that his studio has also worked on the ventilators on several of the windows, replacing the lead and was amazed to find things in such good shape.

“These are the parts of the windows that open,” Durr said. “The more use, the more abuse. But I was surprised to find that much of the lead was still in really good shape.”

Walker said that the series would continue with a talk from Donna Cliemahauge, curator of the Tiffany Museum in Florida, in October.

“I hope people can get a knowledge of the technique,” Walker said. “And get an appreciation for all that has gone into creating these windows and all that goes into the preservation of them.”