Friends of Historic Second Church, Chicago

2025 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Stewardship

Since its founding in 2006, the volunteer-led Friends of Historic Second Church has provided invaluable and exemplary stewardship for Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago. Located in the city’s South Loop, Second Presbyterian Church opened in 1874 after the original church burned in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Designed by James Renwick, Second Presbyterian famously features nine Tiffany stained-glass windows, is a Chicago Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated National Landmark. Friends of Historic Second Church has raised $4 million overall for its preservation efforts, with funding coming from 21 foundations, six corporations and over 350 individual donors. Its 35 trained docents have provided tours to 50,000 visitors, run educational programs and have served as preservation consultants to the congregation. Three of the nine Tiffany windows have been restored, with a fourth in progress. Friends’ largest restoration project to date is the conservation of the Tree of Life mural and the surrounding chancel artworks.

(Tree of Life Mural restoration. Photo credit: John Cramer)

Additional Information

In 2013, Friends successfully secured National Historic Landmark status for the church interior. In 2020, it received a Save America’s Treasures grant for the Tree of Life mural restoration project. Another significant project has been the removal of the 1901 cloth-covered wiring and the cleaning and repairing of all the Arts and Crafts light fixtures in the sanctuary. Other preservation work led by Friends includes: the conservation of four-and-a-half of the Frederic Clay Bartlett arch murals, painting and plaster work in the original color palette, conservation of the narthex lunette murals, repair of the exterior old-growth walnut doors and repair of numerous smaller windows.

Among Friends’ funders are: Alphawood Foundation, Driehaus Charitable Trust at the Chicago Community Foundation, Driehaus Foundation, Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, Landmarks Illinois, Law Ware Shedd Murphy Foundation, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Save America’s Treasures, Service Club of Chicago, Tawani Foundation, Terra Foundation for American Art and the Thomas & Barbara Donnelley Foundation.

(Tree of Life Mural after restoration. Photo credit: John Cramer)

Project Principals

• Friends of Historic Second Church; Board of Directors, Docents, Staff, Donors & Supporters

(Photo credit: Tom Venturella)

Why is this place important to you?

Linda Miller, Board President

Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago is one of the most beautiful places in Chicago! It is one of the earliest, most complete and intact non-residential expressions of American Arts and Crafts in the nation. It fully expresses the movement’s precepts in its high artistic values, craftsmanship, natural themes and especially in the unity of its design. Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw (1869-1926) redesigned the sanctuary in 1901 following a devastating fire. Second Presbyterian Church is architecturally and artistically significant. Shaw worked closely with a team of innovative local artisans, who went on to influence their generation on a national scale. Chief among Shaw’s collaborators was Frederic Clay Bartlett (1873-1953), who painted the Tree of Life mural in the chancel and 12 others in the balcony. Carl Beil and Max Mauch designed and crafted the four heralding angels. The sanctuary light fixtures are the work of Willy H. Lau, a pioneer in the design of electric lighting fixtures. The metal organ screens were created by the firm James A. Miller and Bro. The church stands as an intact monument to Chicago’s history, art and architecture and an anchor to the community. Today, Second Presbyterian Church and its South Loop neighborhood are experiencing a renaissance. In addition to being a spiritual home, the church is an anchor for its multi-cultural community, serving meals to the homeless, hosting community meetings, providing a home for neighborhood sports, tutoring and music programs.

(Mount of the Holy Cross window, before (left) and after (right) restoration. Photo credit: Micah Marty)

How did saving this place impact people in your community?

Linda Miller, Board President

By working hand-in-hand with the church congregation in preserving the building and its interiors, Friends of Historic Second Church helps them to remain in and use their historic home. Friends opens the doors of the church to the public every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and whenever a group makes advanced reservations. Since its founding in 2006, Friends has welcomed nearly 50,000 visitors. Friends has more than 35 trained docents who serve as guides to the artistic treasures in this hidden gem. A visitor during the 2024 Open House Chicago wrote to say, “My last stop today was at 2nd Presbyterian… I was BLOWN AWAY by the restored Tree of Life mural. In fact, my entire party … voted it their favorite stop of the day. There are times where I see something so beautiful I find it almost overwhelming and emotional. This was one of those times.”

Friends engages in a variety of programming to educate the public about the art and architecture of the church and its preservation work. It frequently partners with area institutions in offering programs, including Glessner House, Quinn Chapel, and Marktown. The group has had tour exchanges with numerous other important area museums and historic sites. The 2025 Black History Month program, “The Obama Presidential Center,” drew the largest audience ever, with over 400 people. Friends’ commitment is to preserve this national landmark for current and future generations. Working with a dedicated group of conservationists and contractors, they have made significant progress in restoring this “Gem of the Arts and Crafts” movement. That progress has been appreciated by many. After the Tree of Life mural’s conservation was completed, an elderly congregant exclaimed with tears in her eyes, “Hallelujah! I have sat in these pews for 35 years looking up at this mural. I never thought I’d see it restored in my lifetime.” Friends is poised to continue its preservation work as a lasting gift to the community.

(Parish House Rose Window panel install. Photo credit: Sarah Van Domelen)