Pain in the Glass Window Repair

Steve Jordan

Steve Jordan is a retired preservation specialist who restored old and historic windows in Rochester, New York. He grew up in west Tennessee, graduated from Memphis State University, Cornell’s graduate program in Historic Preservation, and has worked in the building trades since he was a young boy. He was the rehab advisor for the Landmark Society of Western New York for six years, an architectural conservator for Bero Architecture for four years, and a contributing editor for Old-House Journal from 1998 through 2015. Steve is author of the award winning Rehab Rochester: A Sensible Guide for Old-House Maintenance, Repair, and Rehabilitation (Landmark Society of Western New York, 1995) and co-author of Painting Kitchens – How to Choose and Use the Right Paint . . .  (Quarry Books, Gloucester, MA, 2004). He is also author of The Window Sash Bible (Create Space, 2015) and Storm Windows: A Comprehensive Guide to Wood, Aluminum, and Interior Storm Windows (Self Published, 2021). He is introducing a new book, Glazing and Replacing Glass on Traditional Wood Windows, the spring 2023 and is currently working on a book about the use and spread of sprung dance floors in early and twentieth-century America and a second edition of Rehab Rochester.

Steve has worked on thousands of windows in ordinary homes and in many distinctive and significant historic sites providing various services including window repairs and consulting, gaining and marbling, and building condition reports. Below is a short list of his participation on listed or eligible National Register Properties.

Painting a window at the Genesee Country Museum

• Susan B. Anthony House (1856), Rochester, NY. Restored the 1856- 1890 windows and reinstalled them with zinc and bronze weatherstripping. Grained the trim and floors in several rooms. Assembled and worked with a crew of restoration craftspeople including carpenters, plasterers, paperhangers, and painters.
• Hervey Ely House (1835), Rochester, NY. Restored most of the original double hung windows. Made extensive flat and decorative plaster repairs in double parlors. Specified and supervised restoration of exterior lime stucco on library wing.
• John W. Jones House (c. 1868), Elmira, NY. Restored the single-hung windows.
• Stone-Tolan House (1795-1805), Rochester, NY. Restored the windows with a team of volunteers. Supervised the 1996 restoration of the siding, roof, and built-in gutters.
• Gates Hall, Pultneyville, NY (c. 1825). Restored selected c. 1880's windows.
• Hinchey Homestead House and Museum (c. 1875), Rochester, NY. Restored selected deteriorated windows.
• Chemung County History Museum (1833, 1868, 1920), Elmira, NY. Stabilized façade windows.
• Llenroc (1870s), Ithaca, NY. Stabilized and restored selected windows.
• Telluride House (c. 1910), Ithaca, NY. Repaired and stabilized windows.
• Rochester Free Academy (1873), Prepared the window survey for restoration of the 200+ windows.
• Hoyt-Potter House (c. 1835), Rochester, NY. Marbleized the fireplace mantelpieces.
• Schuyler Mansion (c. 1762), Albany, NY. Grained the doors and window seats in the parlors.
• Genesee Country Village and Museum, Mumford, NY. Paint Consultant and craftsman for various mid-19^th century properties in the village.
• Bero Architecture. As an employee and consultant, Steve participated in the following landmark projects or reports: 

Graycliff (1926 - 1931), a Frank Lloyd Wright designed property in Derby, NY.

The Edward Boynton House (1908), a Frank Lloyd Wright designed property in Rochester, NY.

 The George Eastman House (1905), Rochester, NY.

Woodside (1841), an early Greek Revival mansion in Rochester, NY. 

• Quarry Farm (1970), the home where Mark Twain wrote many of his books. Restored four parlor windows. 

Since 2002, Steve has repaired or restored thousands of windows, most in ordinary homes built between 1830 and 1960.