“A 134-year-old stained glass window belonging to one of Chicago’s most storied places of worship is being removed for the first time.
“A crew started delicately removing the 10,000-piece window at Second Presbyterian Church, 1936 S. Michigan Ave., this week in a process that was expected to take two days. The 1893 stained glass jeweled window — designed by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company — will be placed in a specially designed shipping crate and driven to Troy, New York, where it will be restored over a 14-month period.
“Venturella Studio owner Tom Venturella is heading the $700,000 project. It’s the third window he’s restored for the church, and the job never gets old, he said. “It’s the joy you get from seeing how excited others are to see the window restored.’
“The window is 16 feet high and is 8 and a half feet wide, with ‘jewels’ that are rough-cut chunks of glass designed to capture and refract the light like a diamond. The jeweled window is one of nine in the church designed by famed stained glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany’s firm, and it is the fourth window to be restored.
“Linda Miller, president of nonprofit Friends of Second Presbyterian, described restoring key parts of the 151-year-old church as an ongoing process. Several other windows in the sanctuary
and in other parts of the building are in need of care, she said.
“‘I came in for a tour probably 15 years ago, hottest day in the summer, and this is not air conditioned, but it still felt like a place of serenity and coolness,’ Miller said. ‘I was just awestruck, and it just pulled me in. I’ve been working on giving tours and raising money ever since.'” (Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 3/25/25)
Read the full story at Block Club Chicago
- Historic South Loop Church’s 134-Year-Old Stained Glass Windows Getting ‘Labor Intensive’ Restoration; The $700,000 restoration is expected to take 14 months. It’s the fourth window to be restored by Tom Venturella, who has a longtime connection with the church, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 3/25/25
- Stained-Glass Windows and a Chorus of Painted Angels Glow Again Inside a Chicago Church, Heidi Mitchell, Preservation Magazine, Summer 2023
- Historic mural restored at Second Presbyterian Church; After more than 100 years, the vibrancy of the windows and the mural were hidden by dirt, leading supporters of the church to embark on a campaign to restore the artistic treasures to their original glory, Bob Chiarito, Chicago Sun-Times, 1/6/23