There’s more than meets the pleased eye in the deep maroon entrance just completed on the new Lewis restaurant and grille at the corner of Cottage and Central streets. It contains quite a bit of the precious metal, gold.
The elaborate glasswork was made to order in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, following plans by Harry Korslund, the architect for the new building. In order to obtain the rich, unique, maroon tone it was necessary to mix flake gold in the molten glass when it was cast.
Only n few buildings in the country can boast this expensive color in “Carrara Glass”, trade name of the material. A special casting job was necessary because this glass is usually used in flat slabs. Most of the Lewis job is curved. The erection of the glass front was a delicate operation. Not only was there the hazard of a slip or crash because each of the huge pieces was extremely heavy, but the mortar space between them is as narrow as the core of a lead pencil The glass is anchored at the back to a special metal support with an insulating air space between the two. The entire job was performed without an accident.