Leaded Glass Cross Light
For Ebenezer Baptist Church
The lighted cross on the altar canopy of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Ebenezer Baptist Church was deteriorating. The weight of the glass was causing the supporting lead to droop and lean. Also, insulation on the interior electrical wiring had become stiff and brittle.
Curators and historians at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, GA and the National Park Service Museum Conservation Services Center in Harper's Ferry, WV decided that the original should be preserved in storage and replaced with a visually identical, structurally stable and electrically safe reproduction.
In consultation with NPS curators and preservation specialists, Anvil Works re-invented the lighted cross by creating a steel framework to mimic the original lead, matching the white glass, and constructing a new back panel to support LED lamps, new wiring and electric cord according to current standards for electrical lighting fixtures.