“After years of fundraising and 15 months of meticulous restoration work, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s ‘Jeweled’ stained-glass window has returned to the corner of Michigan Avenue and Cullerton Street — where it is housed inside Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago, marking a major milestone in efforts to preserve the landmark building.

“‘Some would call this a museum of stained-glass,’ said Andy Pierce, executive director of Friends of Historic Second Church. Standing more than 16 feet tall, the 133-year-old work of art features 12,000 pieces of glass.

“For decades, dust, dirt, and grime dimmed the vibrancy of the masterpiece. Now, it’s bringing light back into the church. ‘What you’re seeing is the summit of many years of work,’ Pierce said.

“This week, crews reinstalled the window. On Wednesday, they worked to reinforce it with steel bars designed to strengthen the structure of the piece, which dates back to 1893. ‘That’s the last time anybody saw that window look that colored, said Tom Venturella, founder of Venturella Studio, which restored the window.Ultimately, their diligent work revealed the window’s original brilliance.

“We are stained-glass conservators, and our specialty over these many years has been Louis Comfort Tiffany and the studio’s work,” Venturella said. The tedious craft of cleaning, repairing, and reassembling the century-old glass must be done by hand.

“‘It just redefines patience for openers, but what I love is, it’s the history of this place. This is our patrimony. These are American windows,’ Venturella explained. ‘These are not imports from Germany and Austria, even though they did some wonderful things, but these are from us. Opalescent windows are totally American. That’s an American invention.’

“Nine of the church’s 12 monumental stained-glass windows were designed by Tiffany. To date, four arched windows have been restored as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the church’s historic sanctuary. The restoration of Tiffany’s “Jeweled” window alone cost $750,000.

“In recent years, Friends of Historic Second Church has worked to restore the Tree of Life mural by Frederic Clay Bartlett, which rests above the main altar, as well as the church’s interior chandeliers and exterior doors, among other projects.

“Friends of Historic Second Church, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, offers free public tours Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays year-round. More details are available on the nonprofit’s website. (Chronis, FOX 32 Chicago, 6/3/26)

Read the full story at FOX 32 Chicago

• Tiffany’s ‘Jeweled’ window shines again after major restoration at Chicago church, Kasey Chronis, FOX 32 Chicago, 6/3/26
• Historic stained-glass window to be reinstalled at Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Dylan Olsen, CBS Chicago, 5/31/26 
• Tiffany’s Jeweled Window, Friends of Historic Second Church website
• Art and Architecture, Friends of Historic Second Church website