The windows for the altar of the church at 823 Jackson Avenue have changed at least twice over the years as illustrated in the photos above. The earliest known design is shown on the left, which comes from a home movie of a wedding that took place in the church in June 1973. This design is also confirmed from a black and white photo from 1969. It’s possible that this design existed much earlier, perhaps even is the original design for the altar windows.
In 1985 when the Hakka Lutheran church took over the building the windows were changed to the blue and red cross design shown in the middle. These windows were on the building throughout the time the Hakka church used the building. In 2012 the windows were replaced with the existing design shown on the right, each of which is a two piece double-pane clear glass window with an arc shaped divider (or “muntin”). The arcs in each window can be seen as tracing portions of a single arch and complement the interior arch of the ceiling leading up to the altar.
The current windows were designed by artist Torrie Groening and she was granted a US Design Patent on the windows in 2013. Torrie Groening and her husband Stephen Melvin live on the main floor of the building which was converted into a caretaker’s residence in 2008.