KrisAnn Sullivan
Frank House director, 308.865.8284 OR sullivankw@unk.edu
A $9,000 grant from the Theodore G. Baldwin Foundation will make it possible to restore and protect two curved (bent) glass windows in the master bedchamber of the historic Frank House.
“People have enjoyed looking through the bent glass windows of the Frank House for 122 years, and now, thanks to the generosity of the Theodore G. Baldwin Foundation Board of Directors, they will be here to be enjoyed by future generations,” said KrisAnn Sullivan, Frank House director.
The late Ellen Baldwin, widow of Theodore G. Baldwin, was a close friend of Marian Johnson, a past curator at the Frank House. According to family members, Ellen always enjoyed supporting projects her friends supported. Johnson began the renovation of the master bedchambers, and while Johnson’s estate moved the project closer to completion, this grant will help complete the long-time project to restore the master bedchamber.
“The curved windows in the master bedchamber on the ground floor are the originals installed in the 1880s,” Sullivan said. “Over the last 121 years, the windows and their frames have settled and shifted in their openings. The oak window sashes have begun to show signs of deterioration, and the glass has cracked in a few places. The shifting has made the seals around the windows less water resistant. Restoration of the windows will prevent water damage to the structure of the wall itself.” Each window measures approximately four-feet-by-seven-feet and curves 90 degrees.
“They accentuate the two-story turret that protrudes from the south wall,” Sullivan said. “The curved windows represent the attention to detail and creative design of the architect and builders.”
The total project is estimated to cost $10,500. The City of Kearney earlier granted $1,500 in Keno funding toward the project.
“This project allows us to maintain the structural integrity of the building while honoring the architectural vision of George William Frank and the talented local craftsmen who constructed the home in 1889,” Sullivan said. The Frank House is located on the University of Nebraska at Kearney West Campus.
