We’ve arranged a one hour tour of Second Presbyterian Church at 1936 S. Michigan Avenue for docents and volunteers on Saturday, April 27th at 1:30pm. We did a similar tour years ago and so much has been updated and restored since then, including the 1903 Tree of Life mural by Frederick Clay Bartlett and nine Tiffany stained glass windows.
The church was designed by James Renwick, Jr and dates from 1874. In 1900, a fire destroyed the interior of the church. Howard Van Doren Shaw redesigned the current sanctuary. Early members included many very wealthy Chicagoans from Prairie Avenue. In the 1970’s, the church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a Chicago Landmark.
Friends of Historic Second Church, formed in 2006, is a non-profit organization focused on the “preservation and interpretation of the art and architecture of the church” and they’ve raised money for multiple restoration projects, including multiple magnificent Tiffany windows and the Tree of Life mural, all of which we’ll see on our tour.
Please sign up at this link by April 15th. We’ll send out directions and a lunch suggestion in case some of us want to meet before for lunch.