Century-old craftsmanship in the form of an opulent Tiffany glass window is currently under careful restoration at Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago's South Loop. According to an NBC Chicago report, this marks the fourth Tiffany window the Friends of Historic Second Church have taken on, with around $700,000 raised for this undertaking. The window, a jewel-laden memorial attributed to Marshall Field, is valued at a whopping $1.2 million.
The process, which commenced this past Monday, is not just a simple clean-up. After suffering the weight of gravity for a full century, the 16-foot window has bowed, and its glass has cracked. "These windows have been up for 100 years and you can imagine a big 16-foot window has a lot of gravity pulling on it so there’s been bowing and some cracked glass," Linda Miller, President of the preservation group, told NBC Chicago. Conservators hope, Venturella Studio, a New York-based company enlisted for the project, is tasked with returning the window's former grandeur.
CBS Chicago adds further historical context to the window that was installed in 1893, compounding the church's rich heritage with over 12,000 individual glass pieces making up its composition. Having seen the evolution of Chicago since its early days, Second Presbyterian Church, established just five years post-city incorporation, stands as an architectural and cultural testament to the area. The congregation's original location is now the site of the Richard J. Daley Center, but it has called the current location on 1936 S. Michigan Ave home since the building's construction between 1872 and 1874 – surviving both the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and an interior-destroying fire in 1900.
"It’s a treasure trove, it’s a museum all by itself," Thomas Venturella, Owner of Venturella Studio, said in a statement obtained by NBC Chicago regarding the historical significance of the church and its Tiffany windows. Through extensive work, his team aims to preserve as much of the original material as possible, exploiting a reserve of original Tiffany glass to substitute for any missing pieces. The church, a recognized Chicago landmark since the 1970s, views the restoration as crucial to maintaining its legacy. Having previously restored three other Tiffany windows, it seems the dedication to preserving history is unwavering among all parties involved.
The restoration challenge is expected to span approximately 14 months, as conservators meticulously detach every piece of glass to be crated and refurbished. As reported by CBS Chicago, the Rev. Chesna Hinkley, interim pastor, emphasized the separation between the church and the Friends of Historic Second Church, noting the latter as an independent organization responsible for fundraising and coordinating the restoration.
