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Gallery > Public Buildings and Churches > Italian Cemetery Mausoleum Chapel Colma, California |
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 In 1987 this project won AIA design awards for both the architect Robert Overstreet as well as Arthur Stern Studios. This building combines leaded glass with beveled and engraved glass in a contemporary sculptural statement. The building consists of a central chapel flanked by two side bays. The three-dimensional configuration of the central entrance offers a changing perspective as one moves inside the building, allowing a view through one window to another. A 9' tall cross of cast glass floats overhead at the rear of the chamber in front of a sculptural wall of beveled and engraved plate glass. The beveled and engraved glass becomes a laminated safety glass in the overhead areas. The leaded glass in the building combines handblown glass with bronze plate glass and beveled details. | |
| The smaller side bays echo the theme with brighter clearer tones. Cast shadows and reflections in the highly polished marble add an intricate geometric overlay that shifts with the changing lights of day and season. The overall mood is one of solemn stately peace. The more than 1200 square feet of glass detailing permits light to enter the building in abundance, but not without undergoing a transformation to muted tones, intricate shadows, and softened contrasts. |  Interior view of main entrance |
 Interior view of main entrance |
  Central space, looking west |
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