Fabricated from recycled stained glass that is no longer in production, adding to its collectability, this recycled glass is from the same glass manufacturer that has produced stained glass found in prominent Cathedrals across North America dating back to the early and mid 1900’s.
Founded in 1921 by William J. Blenko in Milton West Virginia, a hub in the North American glass industry. The Blenko factory was originally named Eureka Glass. The Blenko factory originally produced glass for the stained-glass market with projects utilizing their glass to include St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Washington National Cathedral, The Reims Cathedral, and the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Cathedral to name a few.
Spurred on by the Great Depression Blenko began producing stem and table ware for the luxury market. Benko’s golden age can be seen as the periods between the 1950’s through the 70’s and into the 80’s for both their tableware as well as their sheet and architectural glass. In the 1930’s the Dalle de Verre technique of architectural stained glass was developed by Jean Guadin in Paris. With this technique, chunks of glass hewn from glass slabs are arranged in a composition and held in place within a concrete matrix. With the use of thicker slabs, deeper colours, and transmission of light through the facets were achieved. Very different from traditional leaded stained-glass sheet. The prominence of this technique corresponded to the Blenkos’ prominence in the United States between the 1950’s and 60’s.
It is from salvaged glass Dalle slabs produced by the Blenko Glass Company that we are offering a limited run of table ware. This glass is no longer produced by the Blenko factory as of 2020. Steeped in tradition and history, this limited run tableware integrates all facets of fine design and craftsmanship utilizing base materials that are inherently valuable due to the limited quantity that can be found.
In the spirit of the limited edition collectibles that came out of the Blenko factory in the 1980’s, Soffi Studio has produced a limited numbered wine glass sets, crafted from type of glass used in some of the most significant cathedrals in North America. These editions will change in colour from year to year and produced only once a year.
