Restored 127-year-old Tiffany glass window returns to Second Presbyterian Church in South Loop

CHICAGO (CBS) — It’s a project that was months in the making.

You’ll soon be able to see a newly restored Tiffany stained-glass window in Chicago’s Second Presbyterian Church.

Saint Paul Preaching at Athens was made in 1895 and is being re-installed.

“So, it has been up in our windows for more than 120 years, and it was in need of some attention. it was a very dirty window,” said Linda Miller, Friends of Historic Second Church. 

Crews were seen carefully piecing the glass masterpiece back together. The 16-foot-high window is made up of 22 separate panels and thousands of pieces of glass.

The window is just back from a year-long restoration in New York where more than a century of dirt was removed.

Tiffany glass already costs a lot and the price tag to restore this one window – how about $450,000?

Some of the funds came from philanthropist Richard Driehaus before he died.

“So, it’s really a labor of love in so many ways, but it’s a real tribute to Richard Driehaus. And then the rest of the funding came from other wonderful friends, supporters of ours who came up with the rest of the money,” Miller said.

The window will be fully installed by tomorrow.

If you want to see the full window in all its glory the scaffolding will come down in a couple of weeks – that will be the best time to see it.