Our Story

Rainbow Studio was founded in 1975 by Dan Oppenheimer, as a one-man stained glass studio. Over the years the company grew to become one of the largest stained glass and architectural decorative arts companies of its kind in the country. From humble beginnings the studio has pioneered new products and decorative techniques seen in commercial installations all over the United States and abroad.

In 1978 Mr. Oppenheimer developed a photographic process that was used to etch the 55,000 names in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. Mya Lin, the Memorial's architect/designer, worked again with the studio utilizing proprietary alternate photographic processes to produce the Civil Rights Memorial in Birmingham.

Mr. Oppenheimer helped reintroduce decorative elevator doors to the architectural community by applying the photographic etching technology he had developed to metals. Rainbow decorated elevator doors for major installations all over the country. Commissions have included all of the elevator doors for Disney's Wilderness Resort, Eli Lilly's World Headquarters and the new Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas among many others.

Once again Mr. Oppenheimer adapted the proprietary photographic processes he developed to another architectural product, interior signage. Interior signage designed especially for the hospitality industry became very important in the company product mix. As a preferred provider for Embassy Suites, Doubletree Hotels, Homewood Suites, Hampton Inns, Hilton Hotels, Holiday Inns, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Woodfield Suites and others Rainbow has developed and/or designed the interior sign systems for these chains. Rainbow has fabricated and installed complete interior sign systems in well over 3000 hotels nationwide. Mr. Oppenheimer sold this division of the company in 2000.

Stained glass design and fabrication founded the company and has and will be the primary art of the firm. When Jack Robinson joined Mr. Oppenheimer in the late 1980s he brought with him a depth in design that is unequaled. Together they created some of the most beautifully composed and executed stained glass windows to be seen anywhere. In 1996 Rainbow Studio won a national competition for the design and production of the stained glass windows for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with designs by Jack Robinson. The windows were completed in 1997-98 and stand today as a testament to the talent of Jack Robinson and the craftsmen at the studio. As in much of Jack Robinson's work the windows depicted realistic figures,indeed portraits so very thoughtfully composed as to evoke emotion upon viewing. Jack Robinson died in December of 1997 but he left his life's work to his creative partner Mr. Oppenheimer and his wife Susan Carr. Jack had grown up in Clarksdale Mississippi and was friends with Mrs. Carr's family. The work Jack left to Mr. Oppenheimer and Mrs. Carr ensures a continuity of design that lives today. For more information on the photographic work of Jack Robinson click here.

Located in the Historic South Main District of Downtown Memphis, the Rainbow plant includes over 7000-sq. ft. of production and design facilities. We invite you to take the tour of our plant, meet some of our staff, designers and craftsmen and look at the enormous range of products and services we offer.