07/24/2026
Perry County Persimmon
A little Friday color from the Perry County Courthouse in New Lexington, Ohio.
This laylight was commissioned as part of the major restoration of the historic courthouse led by the very talented team at Schooley Caldwell Architects ( Schooley Caldwell ). The direction was to create something new for the building while leaning toward a more traditional stained glass aesthetic.
During our initial research, we discovered that persimmons grow wild in Perry County. That became the inspiration for a design developed in collaboration with Lisa Holtsberry ( Lisa Holtsberry ) incorporating the fruit and foliage into a traditional ornamental composition.
Our color palette features warm autumn tones, with glass from Wissmach, Bullseye, and Monarch Glass. At the center is a very special rondel custom made for the project by Tyler at Monarch ( Monarch Glass Studio ), and we were fortunate to incorporate some of his beautiful sheet glass into the laylight as well.
Mantis Metalcraft ( Mantis Metalcraft ) joined the effort, fabricating a custom steel support that follows the concentric design of the laylight.
This was truly a piece built by a community, for a community. Sending all my gratitude to everyone who lent their talent and expertise to this project.
We cannot wait to do another one like it.