Restorations in store for Grand Army of the Republic

Thanks Mark Purdome, Class of 2019, for sharing this information!

Just to whet your appetite for a big change when we can get back into the Cultural Center:

In July, Tim Samuelson, the cultural historian for the City of Chicago, made a presentation to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks about the complete restoration of the Grand Army of the Republic rooms scheduled to take place in 2021.

The restoration includes scraping off the 1970s cream-colored paint to reveal the original Tiffany paint scheme, a restoration of the Healy and Millet stained glass dome (including removing the cover so that the sunlight can stream through!), and recreation of the original lighting fixtures. More than $13 million in private funds are being used for the restoration.

Tim’s presentation is on YouTube. His section is from 37:50 – 1:06:37. The sound is muddled at the beginning but gets better overall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEjePBx2v9Q

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