the academy journal
the art, architecture, and history of Glencairn as
a New Church home. These articles are written by
Glencairn’s curator Ed Gyllenhaal and museum
researcher Kirsten Gyllenhaal, as well as by re-
spected scholars in the field. Three such articles
written by outside scholars this year included,
“Protective Images from Glencairn’s Medieval
Sculpture Collection,” “Assyrian Reliefs in Glen-
cairn Museum: Framing the Ancient Past,” and
“Glencairn’s Two-Foot Tall Medieval Hymnal.”
Ed Gyllenhaal also had a chapter published
in Religion and Museums: Global and Multidisci-
plinary Perspectives (2017), entitled, “Religion at
Glencairn Museum: Past, Present, and Future.”
Facilities Improvements
Facilities initiatives included the restoration and
modernization of Glencairn’s front terrace foun-
tain, exterior repointing of the Upper Hall apse,
and the completion of a comprehensive mechani-
cal, electrical, and plumbing survey. This survey
provided an assessment of the expected lifespan of
Glencairn’s core infrastructure systems critical to
informing the necessary, and significantly costly,
strategic initiatives that must be put in place over
the next decade to preserve the integrity of the
building, while also providing preliminary inves-
tigation into the potential for improved climate
control.
In April 2017, Glencairn’s front fountain, which
holds such fond memories for so many, operated
once again for the first time in nearly forty years.
The project provided for the restoration of the
original granite walls surrounding the fountain as
well as the outer fountain rings, maintaining the
graceful basket weave spray of the original foun-
tain. All new mechanicals were installed, includ-
ing variable speed pumps and an elaborate filter-
ing system, along with new center spray nozzles
and LED lighting.
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