Historical May 1980 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
As have many of its neighbors in the last few years, Delmar Baptist Church has been renovating its home. This process, over six years, has included such functional items as roofing repairs, heating and cooling system repairs, and the covering of the stained glass windows. Aesthetically enriching improvements have included a new organ, renovation of the chancel, exterior painting, and redecorating of other rooms in the church.
The first improvement to the sanctuary in recent years was the new tracker pipe organ.
The old pipe organ, installed during the construction of the church in 1918, finally gave up the ghost in 1974.
Because of acoustical and architectural considerations, the new organ, built by Robert Sipe of Dallas, was placed in the back of the sanctuary.
The chancel area in the front of the sanctuary, which had included the old organ console, choir stalls, and a narrow platform behind a center pulpit, became obsolete in form and a candidate for renovation.
The new chancel, designed by Ted Wofford, of the architectural firm of Murphy, Downey, Wofford, and Richman (neighbors at 6124 Enright), was completed in 1977.
It is a divided chancel, and more modern in form but still very much in keeping with the architecture of the sanctuary.
Through its lines, it serves to focus attention on the two Baptist ordinances of Communion and Baptism.
The one big project which falls into the do-it-yourself category is the external covering of the stained glass windows.
After a major restoration of the deteriorated wood frames by Tom Sater of Artisan Decorators, a volunteer crew of Delmar members proceeded to measure, make templates, cut, and install a total of 150 pieces of Lexan, a super-strong plexiglass, to protect the windows from damage and save on energy.
The notable feature of this installation is the fitting of the Lexan panels within the tracery of the frames to preserve the architectural beauty of the windows, rather than covering the whole window in a sheet as is often done.
Original photograph caption
6195 Washington: Delmar Baptist Church. Photograph by King Schoenfeld. The Paper, May 1980, page 9.
Originally published in The Paper, May 1980.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1980_05.pdf, printed page(s) 9; PDF page(s) 9.
