Jeannette stained-glass artist crafts windows for Mt. Pleasant park gazebo

Renatta Signorini, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 14—Mt. Pleasant's Veterans Park is getting a unique upgrade.

Jeannette stained-glass artist Doug Davis is creating eight windows that reflect the borough's history. The windows will be affixed to each side of an octagonal gazebo at South Diamond and Washington streets, just steps from the landmark World War I doughboy in the town's diamond. The panels will be illuminated.

Davis said he expects each window to take at least a week of work after supplies arrive. It'll be his biggest public project and a great way to preserve historical scenes.

"You get to leave something behind," he said.

Borough council has been working on getting the project moving for about four years, Mayor Diane Bailey said.

In addition to the stained-glass windows, lighting at the wall of veterans names and in a fountain at South Diamond and West Main streets will be upgraded. The fountain is surrounded by benches, landscaping and engraved pillars. A cost estimate for the updates was not available. Some of the funds were included in the borough's budget.

"I'm very grateful we are moving in the direction we are," Bailey said. "A lot of hard work has gone into it by council."

Davis has been working with borough officials to finalize the window designs. He is using historical photos to create sketches for the panels. The windows might include scenes from the annual Mt. Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival, the doughboy and a coke oven with a train passing by.

Davis co-owns The Glass City, a shop and stained-glass restoration business, on Clay Avenue in Jeannette with his wife, Amy Jo Davis.

The project is expected to be completed in time for the glass festival, typically held at the end of September. The park is used for several community events throughout the year, including Memorial Day and Veterans Day programs, as well as the glass festival and a Party in the Park on July 3, Bailey said.

The park began with a gazebo and a large engraved stone dedicated to veterans on July 4, 1973. Council members formed a committee in 2002 to expand it. A year later, the veterans wall was dedicated to honor Mt. Pleasant service members. The project was completed in 2006.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .