Local glass artists create chandelier for Detroit casino

MOUNT CLEMENS — The chandelier is three stories in length and it took about 1,000 glass globes hung by wire to create its stunning design, but there it finally hangs, in a hotel atrium inside of Eclipz Lounge at Greektown Casino in downtown Detroit.

The first time he saw it after it was hung up, Chris Winn, co-creator of the piece, couldn’t believe that he had been a part of the process of making the chandelier.

“It was quite stunning to see something put together,” he said.

“It was really nice to see our labor there in real life hanging there,” agreed Jerry Rosen, who made the glass globes with Winn.

Rosen and Winn, who own River of Glass Hand Blown Glass Studio, located at 123 S. Main Street in Mount Clemens together, got the call for the project in late spring of this year.

“Somebody called me on the phone and said, ‘Are you interested in this job we got?’ and I said, ‘Sure,’ and we ended up getting it,” said Winn.

Winn added that he and Rosen have taken on big projects, but none yet that has been quite on the same level as that of the chandelier. 

“We’ve never worked on anything that large,” he said.

“My favorite part was seeing it up, but blowing it was enjoyable,” said Rosen. “It’s a lot of same pieces over and over, but it’s a good experience. You get a little closer to the glass.”

It took them about three months to hand blow the approximate 1,000 glass globes needed. A separate company was charged with actually putting the piece together. According to Rosen, getting to see the chandelier together after all of that time was worth it.

“A lot of time did go by, but when you’re blowing the individual pieces one by one … to see it all together was great,” he said.

“There was such a lead time between when we finished the job in June and it finally being installed … so we were anxious to see it actually in place and how a casino originally envisioned it,” said Winn.

Winn and Rosen hope that the chandelier puts them in place for other similar projects. 

“We’re kind of now in the pipeline for some of that stuff and … get some more type of those things,” said Winn.