Michigan Stained Glass Census

Artist / Studio

Studio

Judson Studios, The
Los Angeles, California

Date of Death: 01/05/2003

Biography: Judson Studios is a fine arts studio specializing in stained glass located in the Highland Park section (also known as Garvanza) of northeast Los Angeles. The stained glass studio was founded in the Mott Alley section of Downtown Los Angeles in the mid-1890’s by English-born artist William Lees Judson and his three sons. It moved to its current location in 1920 and remains in operation as a family-run business. The Judson Studios building was named a Historic-Cultural Landmark by the City of Los Angeles in 1969, and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Walter Judson, a fourth-generation stained glass maker, died on January 5, 2003 at the age of 61. Judson was a native Californian born in Pasadena and a graduate of the University of Southern California. In 1975 he took over the family-owned business, founded in 1897 by his great grandfather, William Lees Judson. Under Walter Judson's direction, the Judson Studios created windows for churches, cathedrals, casinos, synagogues, and commercial buildings. Some recent commissions included the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles and Valley Beth Shalom synagogue in Encino. The firm's artists and craftsmen also designed vestments, mosaics, candleholders, and other religious furnishings, in line with Walter Judson's vision of the studio as providing an entire ecclesiastical environment. A devout Catholic with an extensive knowledge of religious iconography, Judson enjoyed leading "cathedral and pub" tours throughout Britain, to view stained glass windows and visit artists' studios and glassmaking factories, followed by dinners at notable pubs. His unexpected death has been felt by many in the world of stained glass artists, craftsmen and scholars.

Designers:

Judson, Walter
Judson, William Lees