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All the United States Illinois Chicago Tiffany Dome
AO Edited

Tiffany Dome

This massive stained-glass masterpiece is thought to be the largest Tiffany dome in existence.

Chicago, Illinois

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zackofalltrades
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  Michael Busch / Atlas Obscura User
The newly restored Tiffany Dome.   BWChicago/CC BY 2.0
Tiffany Dome   zackofalltrades/Used with Permission
The Tiffany Dome’s smaller counterpart is no less beautiful.   Gregory Moralez / Instagram / Used with permission
Preston Hall with a view of the Tiffany Dome.   Joseph Reagle/CC BY-SA 4.0
  DancJen531 / Atlas Obscura User
Chicago Cultural Center   Victorgrigas/cc by 2.0
“Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind which are delivered down from generation to generation, as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn.” -Addison   James Ricci / Atlas Obscura User
  James Ricci / Atlas Obscura User
Detail of the ubiquitous mosaics in the entry lobby.   James Ricci / Atlas Obscura User
  sonotthereason / Atlas Obscura User
  James Ricci / Atlas Obscura User
Intricate mosaic details on the stairway   DancJen531 / Atlas Obscura User
A 2nd, lesser known, Tiffany dome   DancJen531 / Atlas Obscura User
Value of a book   kgoheer / Atlas Obscura User
Tiffany Dome   zackofalltrades/Used with Permission
Preston Hall with a view of the Tiffany Dome.   Daderot/cc by-sa 3.0
The Tiffany Dome   Sherry Ezhuthachan/cc by-nd 2.0
Crystal Eye in the Sky   Aty Trocious / Atlas Obscura User
A nearby inscription.   RFrolicArts / Atlas Obscura User
  lainezizka / Atlas Obscura User
Close up on the astrological symbols in the center.   RFrolicArts / Atlas Obscura User
  lainezizka / Atlas Obscura User
  mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
Tiffany Dome Ceiling Sep 2023   misszon / Atlas Obscura User
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  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the architectural wonder that is the Chicago Cultural Center, to see what is arguably the most magnificent Tiffany dome ever created, all you have to do is look up. 

The center's Preston Bradley Hall is home to a 200-foot-diameter dome that is touted as the largest of its kind in the world—and with 1,134 square feet of colorful mosaics, including 30,000 individual panes of glass, the boast seems valid.

Completed in 1897, the dome was designed for the Chicago Public Library by Tiffany's legendary "chief mosaicist" J. A. Holzer. When the Chicago Cultural Center acquired the gorgeously ornate building 1986, the center also inherited the masterpiece that graced the ceiling of the structure. Though the building was estimated to be worth $2,000,000, the dome alone is currently valued at around $35,000,000.

Originally sunlit, the translucent dome portrays the 12 signs of the zodiac among fish scale-shaped pieces of glass embedded in ornate iron framing. In the 1930s, a protective outer dome was constructed, and while the new backlit appearance was lovely, many felt the dome lost much of its natural beauty.

In 2008, a restoration project renewed the dome's original, naturally lit charm, saving on energy and repairing the damage time had caused to the complicated glass panels and the 5,568 copper foiled, chipped-glass jewels that were discovered in the process. 

Now, more than 800,000 visitors gaze up at the newly restored dome every year, entranced by the new assortment of delightful colors and angles. When you tire of admiring the vastness of the dome in Preston Bradley Hall, you can always head over to the center's rotunda in the Grand Army of the Republic Hall to view the dome's smaller, but no less alluring counterpart.

Related Tags

Domes Architecture Stained Glass Windows Mosaics Glass

Know Before You Go

The building is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Every Thursday and Friday the Cultural Center offers a wonderful free tour with one of their very knowledgeable docents.  

Community Contributors

Added By

zackofalltrades

Edited By

Rachel, rnshagam, Molly McBride Jacobson, richardlyons1...

  • Rachel
  • rnshagam
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • richardlyons1
  • natcase
  • kgoheer
  • mefin3634
  • James Ricci
  • DancJen531
  • Michael Busch
  • juanpalomera
  • Aty Trocious
  • mocchiatto
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • misszon
  • sonotthereason
  • RFrolicArts
  • jlord7
  • Julius Spada
  • lainezizka

Published

July 10, 2013

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  • https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cityofchicago.org%2Fcity%2Fen%2Fdepts%2Fdca%2Fsupp_info%2Fchicago_culturalcenter-tiffanydome.html&ei=pfPdUcSHBYKpiALLr4GwCg&usg=AFQjCNGL3hacIhj1lWS6qtLASAueMEF4bA&sig2=7q3zkJ94ImIKoa7GG3v3Qg&bvm=bv.48705608,d.cGE
  • http://arcchicago.blogspot.com/2008/01/blinders-off-worlds-largest-tiffany.html
Tiffany Dome
78 East Washington Street
Chicago, Illinois
United States
41.884162, -87.624962
Visit Website
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