Frio River Ranch House
near Leakey, Texas
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Architect: Rhotenberry Wellen Architects, Mark Wellen, AIA
Soaring
4.0' diameter
Oasis Cross
3.0' diameter
The renovation of this 1930’s Spanish Mission-style house overlooking the Frio River on a ranch in central Texas provided an opportunity to replace its 1970’s “art glass” windows with airy, transparent stained glass that reconnects its interior with the outdoors.
SOARING: This large circular window looks down on a spacious “great room” from its perch among exposed beams and vaulted ceiling. So that I doesn’t get lost high overhead, this window called for a easily recognizable design and a bold palette. The mouthblown European glasses sparkle and refract glimpses of tree-tops and clouds while sending rays of color into the spacious room below.
OASIS CROSS: This smaller round companion to Soaring is located in the stairwell landing between floors. The landing is large enough for a cozy reading nook and this round window that overlooks the Frio River below. Glimpses of this window through lace-like, hand-wrought iron railings from throughout the house add a sense of mystery or discovery the the paler light emitted by the Oasis Cross Window and its more subdued palette.
Materials: German and Polish mouthblown glass, domestic rolled glass, Austrian lead-crystal prisms, lead, solder.
