A Look at Where All That Adopt-a-Landmark Money Goes in Chicago
For the last five years, real estate developers in Chicago have been using a city program called Adopt-a-Landmark to get things out of City Hall, and vice-versa. It’s one of the key tools that developers use to cram a little more height into a space that was meant for less. In essence, if they write a check to the Adopt-a-Landmark program, they can add a few more floors to the fancy downtown office buildings, condos, hotels, and...
Chicago’s 2nd Presbyterian Gets Fed Help to Save Mural
If you’ve ever toddled down Michigan Avenue to Second Presbyterian Church, whether to bend a knee or just to attend a community function, you probably noticed one of its greatest hits: The Tree of Life. Tree of Life mural. (Courtesy of Second Presbyterian Church) In a church stuffed with glorious art, the Tree of Life mural still stands out. The brushwork and leaf of Frederic Clay Bartlett, it’s 30 feet tall and 40 feet...
South Loop Church’s Massive Tiffany Window Goes Out For Repairs
At a time when too many of Chicago’s holy places are being abandoned, or worse, we bring you a good news story out of the South Loop. The enormous Tiffany window at Second Presbyterian Church has been removed for conservation. Stained glass window being removed from Second Presbyterian Church in March, 2021. (Courtesy of Friends of Historic Second Church.) Thousands of people have admired the 16-foot-tall window during services,...
The Stunning Before-and-After Pics of Second Presbyterian’s Peace Window Restoration
Some of the most amazing pieces of architecture in Chicago are its churches. And one of the best churches in town has just been given a significant upgrade. Second Presbyterian Church (1936 South Michigan Avenue) in the South Loop recently had one of its big windows re-installed after a $312,000 restoration. The Peace Window was badly damaged, and encrusted with a hundred years of filth. If you think the dirt on your office windows...
Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago To Be Repaired
The historic Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago in the city’s South Loop neighborhood received a renovation permit for much-needed repairs on April 20th. The church, at 1936 South Michigan Avenue, has been covered in varying degrees of scaffold after a tragic accident back in September of 2014 killed a passerby as she walked past. Now, permission is in place to repair the facade of the bell tower and restore the windows, as...
Second Presbyterian Marks 75 Years of Architecture Tours
Chicago is a city of architecture and architecture tours. There are dozens to choose from, whether you want to go by boat, bus, taxi, bicycle or by foot. You can take in a view from a thousand feet up, or go underground. But when it comes to longevity, few can compete with Second Presbyterian Church (1936 South Michigan Avenue). It has been offering architecture tours of its sanctuary for 75 years. If you haven’t been, this...
The South Loop’s Revival Brings New Appreciation for Chicago’s Landmark Second Presbyterian Church
The late 19th-century Arts and Crafts movement that came out of England was widely embraced in the United States – especially in Chicago. And the South Loop has one of the largest and best preserved examples of the movement’s precepts: the interior of Second Presbyterian Church (1936 South Michigan Avenue). In March, 2013 Second Presbyterian became the only church in the city of Chicago to be designated a National Historic...
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Fulton River District In Line For Another Skyscraper January 30, 2022 -
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