Louis Comfort Tiffany & Brown Memorial Church in Baltimore

Greetings Sweeties...

Well, here I am back from my little, short vacation to Baltimore for my brother's

graduation from his residency at the University of Maryland. He is now officially

a surgeon, back here in Cali where he belongs & doing his fellowship in

vascular surgery at USC...I could not be any PROUDER!!

A few weeks ago, I went crazy on Pinterest, as I usually do, & started

a whole new category on Louis Comfort Tiffany. Being an interior design

major, I have always loved all elements of design, but Tiffany

has always been a favorite of mine.

While 'researching' for my Pinterest collection, I found out something that was

 completely unknown to me. I've been to Baltimore 5 or 6 times since my brother

has been going to school there & I couldn't imagine me NOT knowing this fact...

The Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church of

Baltimore, Maryland, has one of the worlds largest & finest 

collections of Tiffany art still in it's original setting.

OK...they had me at HELLO!!! 

So, even though this vacation was not about me & was filled with a schedule

of events & parties & ceremonies for the graduate,

my brother said there was a short window {good choice of words!!!} of time for me to see

something I wanted to see in Baltimore, to which I excitedly answered...

"I want to go to the church with all the TIFFANY WINDOWS in it!"

We were literally there within minutes. I grabbed my camera & bolted from

the car, clicking away as I walked towards this amazing Gothic cathedral.

Walking to each one of the locked doors, we were beginning

to realize this church was open by appointment only or

on Sundays & we had neither going for us.

Can anyone say...Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

As our very last resort, my brother & I opened a rod iron fence that was most

certainly not meant to be opened by the General Public. At the very moment

that the gates parted, a passer by says, "Can I help you?"

Looking to the sidewalk, now half way inside the OFF LIMITS area,

I start rambling a list of reasons from A through Z to this seemingly random

woman, of why I must get into the church. She smiles & asks us to come into

the church office which was in the building next door...a door we never tried.

 The Good Shepard by Wilbur Burnham

She introduces us to the church secretary who has a set of keys in her hand & as

she leads us into HEAVEN, she asks if we would like the lights on or off...

we say off & she floats away like an angel leaving us alone in

this room of LIGHT.

At this point, few words are needed...

The New Creation by Tiffany Studios

Saint Gabriel by Tiffany Studios

Saint John by Tiffany Studios

The Baptism of Christ by Tiffany Studios

I Am The Way by Tiffany Studios

Annunciation to the Shepherds by Tiffany Studios

Christ in Gethsemane by Tiffany Studios

An astonishing 63 panels of glass depict the story of a host of angels heralding

the birth of Jesus to the shepherds below.

The Holy City by Tiffany Studios

The Lord is my Shepherd by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co

Lead Kingly Light by Tiffany Studios

If I Be Lifted Up by Tiffany Studios

I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes by Gorham Manufacturing Co

My Dad with The New Creation in the background

The Tiffany Windows of Brown Memorial are Sacred Glass,

& above all of those beautiful, beyond breathtaking windows...

are magnificent Gothic arches that seem to go on forever.

Can you tell that I LOVED it there?

Can you tell it was one of the HIGHLIGHTS of my trip?

Can you tell I'm going to HIGHLY recommend that you go

there if you ever go to Baltimore, Maryland?

Can you tell that I'm soooooooooooo excited that we got inside this glorious church

& that I didn't just have to enjoy these windows from the outside?

Now when you see me OCDing on Pinterest just remember...
Susie's crazy for doing so much PINNING, but she may be finding a

diamond in the rough with all her insane researching.
We may never know until she actually gets there!  ;)

XOXO

vintagesusie

Ellicott City, Maryland...So Charming!

Greetings Sweeties, from Baltimore, Maryland!!!

Being a southern California girl born & bred,

going to the East Coast always has a touch of MAGIC to it.

{the oldest surviving railroad station in America}

I LOVE American History!

I wish when I was in high school I would have known that American History

would be such a passion of mine, maybe I would have paid a little more attention! ;)

Here, I'm surrounded by the history that founded this country that I'm so proud of...

it's every where you go & every where you look.

The little hamlet of Historic Ellicott City, MD did not disappoint,

I adored it's beyond CHARMING atmosphere!

It's a town of antique shops, boutiques & bistros,

{Babe Ruth was married at St. Paul's Church to Helen Woodford in 1914}

just the kind of place you can't help but think,

"I want to live here & open up a tiny shop too!"

Old stone churches,

cobblestones,

& corbels.

This quaint old town was built on the National Road in the 1700's.

George Washington rode his horse down this road

on his way from Mount Vernon to Annapolis.

This town was here prior to the American Revolution,

how COOL is THAT??

If only windows & wood could talk,

what a story they could tell us.

The Patapsco River winds itself through & around town,

under buildings & bridges,

leaving everything lush & green & GORGIOUS!

Ellicott City was intially a flour mill town, orginally settled by

three Quaker brothers from Pennsylvania in 1772,

4 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Again...Just Cool!

This row of stone houses was built as residences

for mill workers out of granite stones made in the local quarry.

They still stand strong & proud against centuries of wear.

These amazing gems are now filled with boutiques,

outdoor cafes & The French Market coffeeshop...yummmmmy,

all sitting on the banks of the Patapsco River.

Don't you just LOVE to explore new places??

My very favoritest quote by Mark Twain says it all...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the

things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Wish you were HERE!!!

XOXO

vintasusie