Rediscover the Stained Glass Art at City Hall

When the City of San Leandro underwent the expansion of City Hall in 1994, Narcissus Quagliata was commissioned to create two stained glass chandeliers to overhang each the entrances on E. 14th Street and Lorraine Boulevard. Twin pieces Castor and Pollux received their names from Greek mythology and were completed and installed in 1995.

These magnificent pieces of art greet visitors every day and reminds us that San Leandro is truly a place that embraces innovation, diversity, and originality.

In 1961, Quagliata left his native Rome to study painting in San Francisco.  At the time, Italy’s art community was still steeped in traditionalism, and modernists did not feel that their aesthetics were well-received without compromise. Quagliata more or less discovered an artist’s utopia in San Francisco, and was able to hone his style and establish himself in the arts community without censure.  In the 1970s, Quagliata shifted his focus from painting to stained glass, a medium that was relatively uncharted territory in California. Over the past few decades, Quagliata has created many significant pieces of stained glass art in the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia, and has earned two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.