Catholic San Francisco
November 7, 2003
The Stained Glass Artistry of By Terry Blaine Carl Huneke (1898-1972) is hardly a household name, but he is responsible for the stained glass windows for over 80 churches in the Bay Area. His story begins with St. Vincent de Paul parish in San Francisco. Saint Vincent de Paul Church was completed in 1913, just twelve years after the parish was founded, and just seven years after the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The architects, Frank T. Shea and John D. Lofquist, designed a structure with campanile, using brick and California redwood, with the opportunity for art glass effects. Although described as “modified Gothic,” the church would be very much at home in an alpine village. Its steep roof, deep overhangs, and prominent bell tower provide a unique, pleasing contrast to the Victorian and early 20th century buildings in the neighborhood. The art glass effects envisioned by the architects would take a long time to complete, but they would be worth the wait. More than thirty years, and two World Wars after the church was dedicated, work on the stained glass windows began. Father James H. Long, the pastor of Saint Vincent de Paul, had a clear idea of the theme for the windows. The designer/craftsman selected to create the windows was an unknown San Franciscan, Carl Huneke. Mr. Huneke was born in Achim bei Bremen, Germany in 1898. He started his stained glass career as a 13-year-old apprentice in Bremen, Germany. He was a bright student who had been offered a scholarship to continue his academic studies. But, he had to contribute to his family’s income, since his mother was a widow with nine children. He loved art and eagerly applied himself to stained glass. In 1925, he immigrated to San Francisco, and was employed by Edward La Potka at Church Art Glass Studio. For the next several years, Mr. Huneke studied English and oil painting at night school. Window from Saint He prospered in his occupation until the Depression, and then there was no work in stained glass for several years. To survive the Depression, Mr. Huneke and his wife, Lee, started a small neighborhood grocery store. The one brief bright spot during the Depression years occurred in 1931. Charles Connick, the renowned Boston stained glass artist, created stained glass windows for Grace Cathedral. By chance, he hired Carl Huneke from the union hall to assist in the installation of those windows. From that incidental contact, the two men developed great respect for each other. In the late 1930’s, stained glass work revived and Mr. Huneke was called back to work at Church Art Glass. He soon became principal artist for that firm. During creation of windows for Saint Mary of the Annunciation Church in Stockton (now Cathedral of the Annunciation), the imperious Monsignor William E. McGough fired the firm, but insisted that Carl Huneke stay on to complete the windows in
▲
10
the church. Reluctantly, Carl Huneke acquiesced, and the Century Stained Glass Studio was born. The stained glass windows created by Mr. Huneke for the new Saint Mary’s were a great success, partly because the charming young principal of the grammar school, Sister Maurice Powers, O. P., mediated between the demanding monsignor and the quiet, humble artist who spoke with an accent. Sister Maurice became a life long mentor and confidante to Mr. Huneke and his family. Work on Saint Mary of the Annunciation was not quite complete when Mr. Huneke accepted the task of putting Father Long’s visions for Saint Vincent de Paul into glass, paint and lead. It was Charles Connick who had recommended Carl Huneke for the job. The contract for the first window was signed in November 1944. Father Long liked the Gothic Revival windows proposed by Mr. Huneke. They agreed that the color tones should be dominantly blue. Mr. Huneke experimented with 8 x 10 black and white photos of existing stained glass windows. Using a fine tipped camel hair brush, he applied enamel paint to each individual segment of glass in the photo to achieve the balance of blue, with red, yellow and green accents. Several of those experimental miniatures still exist. Century Stained Glass Studio was located in a tiny space at 374 Fillmore Street. That space was sufficient for a workshop large enough to lay out individual sections of the large windows at St. Mary of the Annunciation and Saint Vincent de Paul, but was not large enough for an entire window. The same was true for the glass easel, which stood upright in the shop. Each piece of glass was waxed onto that easel, was painted or stained, then was removed for firing in a kiln to fuse the stain permanently into the glass. Great care was taken to match the continuity of the panels in geometry, color and intensity without ever seeing them together until the final installation in the church. The shop was too small for the kiln. It was Rita church, Fairfax. located in the back room of their grocery store at the corner of Page and Lyon Streets. Mr. Huneke had built the kiln himself with advice from Charles Connick and assistance from an engineer at P. G. and E. Through ingenuity and diligence, Mr. Huneke surmounted the challenges of starting a new stained glass business during the war years. He found lead and solder for the windows when metal was scarce. He arranged gasoline for transportation when it was rationed. He got shipments of glass from the East Coast when rail and highway shipping space had military priorities. All new stencils for borders and backgrounds for the windows were cut square inch by square inch. He completed research into the accoutrements, symbols, icons, colors, and representations traditionally presented with each saint or event depicted. Mr. Huneke bought a second hand projector. Each night at home, he projected his small pencil sketches or pictures gleaned from reference sources onto the wall of their rented flat in the Haight-Ashbury.
Central window of Crucifixion triptych at Saint Vincent de Paul church, San Francisco.
▲ Sketch and final product of Nativity wi in dalle-de-verre style at Mr. Hunek own parish of Saint Stephen, San Fran