SOUTH LOOP — For years, the 12 stained-glass windows at Second Presbyterian Church have drawn admirers from across the globe, even as dirt, grime and age hid the details that made them remarkable.

Now, thanks to a little elbow grease and an outpouring of community support, visitors can see more of that original beauty with the return of one of them, a 134-year-old jeweled Tiffany window, as efforts to restore the South Loop church’s storied sanctuary continue.

The restoration was made possible with help from Marshall Field V, whose donation allowed the fundraising efforts to get off the ground when the campaign was announced in 2023, said Friends of Historic Second Church Board President Nate Lielasus. Field’s ancestor, the founder of the department store, donated the window in 1927.

The church, 1936 S. Michigan Ave., marked the occasion with a small celebration Saturday, where parishioners and supporters were joined by Tom Venturella, who spent 14 months returning the window to its former splendor.

“It’s a little surreal, but surreal is wonderful,” Venturella told Block Club. “To look around and think of all of the things in this building that are historically important, which are such a major part of the city … and to see it all coming together is really, really encouraging.”

Though the window was returned to the sanctuary in June, the celebration was scheduled this month to allow time for the removal of all the interior scaffolding and for more mural restoration work. The church also wanted to wait until the weather cooled to have a proper celebration, said Executive Director Andy Pierce.

The fully restored 134-year-old jeweled Tiffany stained glass window at The historic Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago on Sept. 19, 2026. Credit: Photos by Ash Lane

Standing 16 feet high and 8 1/2 feet wide, the window is one of nine in the church designed by famed stained glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany’s firm. It is made of 12,000 pieces of glass, with 1,000  “jewels” consisting of rough-cut chunks of glass designed to capture and refract the light like a diamond.

Venturella, who owns a studio in upstate New York, spent the last several years working on the $700,000 restoration project with partner Jim Murphy. This particular window, which took 14 months to repair, presented a bit of a challenge as some of the glass was incompatible with the historic window and had to be replaced with new material. The window had to be completely re-leaded, said Venturella.

He and Murphy removed and examined each piece of glass before cleaning and reassembling the window. Bit by bit, the details came alive, said Venturella.

“There’s something about the visuals, you know. You look at something and you see something and you kind of knew what it was before, and now you see what it is now,” said Venturella.

The project team included the Chicago companies Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates and Bulley Andrews Masonry Restoration. They supported design and construction elements, including the frames, masonry, plaster repair and painting.

Community members view the restored 134-year-old Tiffany stained glass window inside the historic Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago in the South Loop on Sept. 19, 2026. Credit: Ash Lane for Block Club Chicago

Admittedly, Venturella was not a fan of the Tiffany style but as the scope and labor of the project expanded, he said he found himself coming around. He was taken with the sophistication of the art, how the “diamond” effect comes from subtle variations in color and texture and from the way individual pieces create depth.

Others, too, were drawn to the beauty of the Tiffany windows. Friends of Historic Second Church board member Karen Lamb remembers visiting the church after taking a Pre-Raphaelite course at Oxford to see two particular windows made by artist Edward Burne-Jones. She fell in love with the church and eventually joined the docent trainee program.

In her 10 years as a docent, Lamb has stood witness to the awe and wonder of visitors touring the building and taking in beauty. Seeing the return of the jeweled window holds special meaning, she said.

“If you look at that window, you see the blues and the greens and how they come forward, and then also the history of how they came about in the history of this neighborhood. All that resonates with me because I’m a longtime Chicago native,” said Lamb, who grew up in the western suburbs.

Still there’s more work to be done. While four of the 12 windows have been restored, Venturella and Murphy have eight more to do.

Second Presbyterian Church is one of several landmarks participating in Open House Chicago Oct. 17 and 18. The building will be open to attendees 10 a.m-5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

The church also offers guided tours on weekends throughout the year.

The historic Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago reveal the restored 134-year-old Tiffany stained glass window on Sept. 19, 2026. Credit: Ash Lane for Block Club Chicago

______________________________________________________________________

Support Local News!

Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.