A festive event to celebrate Friends’ 20th anniversary will be held on Saturday, March 21 at 3:00 pm, with doors opening at 2:30 pm. Everyone is invited to share in this salute to 20 years of accomplishments and to the people who made them all possible. 

Live jazz begins at 2:30 pm in the sanctuary with the Chicago vibraphonist Thaddeus Tukes. The main program will begin at 3:00 with remarks by Friends President Nate Lielasus and Bonnie McDonald, President and CEO of Landmarks Illinois. Board member William Tyre, Executive Director and Curator of Glessner House, will present “Friends of Historic Second Church: Highlights of the First 20 Years.” A special announcement will be made before we proceed to Fellowship Hall for a Prosecco toast, a catered reception and more jazz music. 

It will be a day to recognize how Friends' passionate supporters and volunteers have worked to preserve the past while also securing the future of Historic Second Church. Don’t miss it! 

TICKETS SOLD OUT!

* GA is the General Admission price. DM is a donor member who has given a donation in the last year and has received a complimentary membership. All donors must sign-in to their member account in our Neon database to receive discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

Friends of Historic Second Church celebrates Women's History Month with a look at the women who have made their mark in the story of Second Presbyterian Church.

Among the women profiled will be prominent congregation members past and present, and the artists, artisans, patrons, and preservationists who have helped create and protect this National Historic Landmark.

The presenter will be architect and new Friends board president Nate Lielasus.

*GA $16/DM $13

Tickets

* GA is the General Admission price. DM is a donor member who has given a donation in the last year and has received a complimentary membership. All donors must sign-in to their member account in our Neon database to receive discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

Bronzeville is a large neighborhood on the city’s South Side running south of Cermak Road between Lake Michigan and King Drive on the east and the Dan Ryan Expressway on the west; 47th Street was and remains the hub of the neighborhood. During the Great Migration of the 1910s, the population of the area increased dramatically as Black Americans fled the segregated South in search of jobs and an improved quality of life. Residents included Ida B. Wells, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lou Rawls, Louis Armstrong, and many others. A portion of the neighborhood was designated as the Chicago landmark Black Metropolis District in 1998.

Historian Bernard Turner will discuss how Bronzeville became a Black Metropolis and why it is now a National Heritage Area. He will take a look at the places and people who tell the important story of Bronzeville and how it has become an international tourist destination and cultural epicenter.

Bernard Turner is the executive director of the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area, focused on preserving the history and culture of Bronzeville. Author of several books about Chicago and African American History, including A New View of Bronzeville and Tate and His Historic Dream, Turner also conducts neighborhood tours and step-on guide tours. He also serves on the boards of the Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation and the Bronzeville Trail Task Force.

Our free annual program in honor of Black History Month is co-sponsored by Glessner House, Friends of Historic Second Church, Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church, and Second Presbyterian Church.

This program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants. The link will remain live for seven days following the program.

The program is free of charge but registration required.

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* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

Discover the remarkable artistic legacy of Giannini & Hilgart, a Chicago-based firm founded in 1899 that created exquisite stained glass installations across America. This talk will examine the firm's contributions to Chicago's historic Second Presbyterian Church alongside rarely seen residential installations in homes throughout the country, revealing how Giannini & Hilgart worked seamlessly with leading architects of the Progressive Era to create harmonious decorative environments. Through visual examples and historical context, attendees will gain an appreciation for the craftsmanship and creativity of one of America's most accomplished yet overlooked stained glass studios, illuminating a hidden chapter in American decorative arts history.

The presentation will be given by Ted Ellison who operates an architectural glass studio in Oakland, California, bringing more than 25 years of experience to creating one-of-a-kind stained glass installations for homeowners, architects, and designers. Ellison has conducted extensive research into the leaded glass and mosaic work of Giannini & Hilgart and other lesser-known studios of the period. He has presented on stained glass and mosaic history for conferences and organizations nationwide, combining his craftsman's expertise with scholarly insight into America's overlooked decorative arts legacy.

This program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants. The link will remain live for seven days following the program.

Co-sponsored by Glessner House.

$15 per person / $12 for members

Purchase Tickets

All ticket sales are final; no refunds or exchanges.

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

At the height of the great Gothic revival in church architecture during the 19th century, stained glass windows enjoyed a renaissance. Already famous for their innovative designs, William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Ford Madox Brown were responsible for some of the most beautiful stained-glass windows of the 19th and 20th centuries. This lecture will look at the history of how ‘The Firm’ brought church windows to life with their new vibrant colors and sensuous designs. The languid faces of the saints and holy family were often modeled on real life portraits of their friends and lovers.

The presentation will be given by Geri Parlby, a former Fleet Street journalist. She has a Masters in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a Theology doctorate from Roehampton University in London. She has been lecturing for the past 18 years both in the UK and internationally.

This program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants. The link will remain live for seven days following the program.

Co-sponsored by Glessner House.

$15 per person / $12 for members

Purchase Tickets

All ticket sales are final; no refunds or exchanges.

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

Please join Dr. Jonathan Clancy, Director of Collections and Preservation at the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms for a lively and informative session that will cover the history of Gustav Stickley’s property in New Jersey, recent changes to the campus, and highlights from the collection.  Located in Morris Plains, New Jersey, the Stickley Museum is a 35 acre property that the Stickley family occupied only from 1910 to 1917.  While their time was short, they built a number of cottages and farm buildings as well as a Log Club House, which formed the very heart of the campus and is used as the primary museum space today.  More than a collection of Arts and Crafts movement works or pieces Stickley produced, the Museum holds objects owned and used by the family dating from the 1820s through the 1930s, important and rare examples of Stickley’s work, and houses a research library.  If you’ve been to the campus previously, this is a great opportunity to see how the museum has grown, and if you’ve never been, this will serve as a great introduction.  

A zoom link will be sent a few days before the event via email.

General Admission $15/Member Admission $12

Register

All ticket sales are final; no refunds or exchanges.

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

Come see the celebrated Tiffany windows at Second Presbyterian Church on one of the longest days of the year! On the Saturday after the solstice we will gather to watch the summer sun stream through the stained glass. Docents will be on hand to point out the different colors and fourteen types of glass used in the windows including opalescent, plated, dichroic, ripple, rondels, hammered, flashed, streamer, feather, jeweled, streaky, confetti, mottled and drapery glass, each with a distinctive way of playing with the sun. We look forward to experiencing it with you! A special summer cocktail will be served.

As always, our mission is to preserve, protect, and restore the art and architecture of Chicago’s landmark Second Presbyterian Church and to engage neighbors and the world in sharing our passion for its beauty and significance.

Limited Ticket Availability - 30 tickets for event

General Admission $25/ Member $20

Register

All ticket sales are final; no refunds or exchanges.

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

Join us for our first ever Cocktails with Tiffany. Sip a classic Chicago cocktail as we bid a bon voyage to Tiffany's Jewelled Window. It "sails" now to Venturella Studio in New York for a full restoration. 

Guests will tour the already restored Peace Window, St Paul Preaching at Athens, and Mount of the Holy Cross - sparkling in the setting evening sun - as we ponder the challenges ahead - five additional Tiffany windows in dire need of a helping hand.

Stained glass expert Tom Venturella - of Venturella Studio - will share stories and insights about the complex, laborious, and oftentimes surprising restoration process involved in bringing each window back to life.

As always, our mission is to preserve, protect, and restore the art and architecture of Chicago’s landmark Second Presbyterian Church and to engage neighbors and the world in sharing our passion for its beauty and significance.

Limited Ticket Availability - 35 tickets for event

General Admission $25/ Member $20

Register

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

OUR ANNUAL PROGRAM IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS FREE OF CHARGE, BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED; CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.

The Barack Obama Presidential Center is currently under construction in a portion of Jackson Park in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood. Scheduled to open in the first half of 2026, the 19-acre campus will include a museum and library commemorating the presidency of Barack Obama, along with a forum building housing an auditorium and a branch of the Chicago Public Library, and a programs and athletics center known as Home Court. The Obama Foundation will also be housed here. The library will be the first fully digitized presidential library in the United States.

In 2016, the foundation selected New York-based Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Chicago-based Interactive Design Architects to jointly lead the design and engineering of the the three main buildings. Moody Nolan Chicago and Renauld Deandre Mitchell were selected for Home Court. Ralph Appelbaum Associates (which worked on the National Museum of African American History) will lead the exhibition design team, with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates as landscape architect. The complex will comprise four buildings in geometric shapes and covered in light-colored stone. The museum building is the tallest at 180 feet; the other buildings will be a single story.

The presentation will be given by Josh Harris, who serves as the Vice President of Public Engagement for the Obama Foundation where he oversees community engagement and government affairs, Chicago programs, and is charged with implementing a Chicago plan to advance youth outcomes and expand economic opportunity ahead of the Obama Presidential Center opening. 

This program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants. The link will remain live for seven days following the program.

Co-sponsored by Glessner House, Quinn Chapel AME Church, Friends of Historic Second Church, and Second Presbyterian Church.

Free admission, but registration is required.

Register

All ticket sales are final; no refunds or exchanges.

In honor of Black History Month, this free online program will explore the complex stories of the Underground Railroad, with an emphasis on its operation in and around Chicago. The program will be co-presented by Barry Jurgensen and Dr. Larry McClellan.

Barry Jurgensen serves as the Midwest Regional Manager of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program of the National Park Service. This program honors, preserves and promotes the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, which continues to inspire people worldwide. Through its mission, the Network to Freedom helps to advance the idea that all human beings embrace the right to self-determination and freedom from oppression.

Dr. Larry McClellan is Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Community Studies at Governors State University, which he helped create in 1970. He is the author of the award-winning Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois, published in 2023 by Southern Illinois University Press. The Underground Railroad Free Press wrote:
”Of all of the regional works on the Underground Railroad that we have seen, this book is perhaps the most detailed . . . This is the finest book yet of which we are aware for a close-up look at the Underground Railroad as it actually happened.”

The program is free of charge, but registration is required. Attendees will receive the Zoom link a few days in advance. The presentation will be recorded and a link will be provided to all registrants which will remain active for seven days. This program is co-sponsored by Glessner House, Second Presbyterian Church, Friends of Historic Second Church, and Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church.

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Architect Nate Lielasus will provide a Basement to Belfry tour of the church. During this popular tour at Second Presbyterian, guests will be given a behind the scenes look at areas of the church not typically visited on regular tours, from the basement dirt floor to the charred roof timbers. The tour will focus on original architectural features from the 1874 construction and evidence of changes during Shaw's reconstruction. Please note there are stairs, uneven ground, and several small spaces.

$20 general admission/ $16 members

Purchase Tickets*

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

It was once the “world’s largest amusement park.” It boasted the world’s first suspended roller coaster and first parachute ride. Today, it’s merely one of Chicago’s best loved memories. The names alone evoke nostalgia: the Pair-O-Chutes, Aladdin’s Castle, Shoot the Chutes and of course, the Bobs roller coaster. Join historian Leslie Goddard, Ph.D. for a look back at the history of Riverview, from its opening in 1904 to its sudden closing in 1967.

Speaker:

Our speaker today is Leslie Goddard. She is a historian and author who holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and master’s degrees in museum studies and in theater.

She is a lifelong resident of the Chicago area and has written three books on Chicago history. She has been presenting programs on topics in history for more than fifteen years.

$12 general admission/ $10 member admission

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All ticket sales final, no refunds or exchanges.

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

Join preservation consultant and Friends volunteer John Cramer on a walking tour of Chicago’s Gold Coast to explore the legacy of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw and his contemporaries in one of Chicago's most exclusive and dynamic neighborhoods. On the tour we will see the work of Chicago's leading architects from the 19th century to today and hear stories about some of the communities' best known residents.

Meeting place: Outside the Restoration Hardware at the Three Arts Club - 1300 N. Dearborn Street (restrooms available inside Restoration Hardware on the bottom floor)

$20 per person/$16 for members

Purchase Tickets

Please note: Registration for purchasing tickets closes Thursday, September 14th.

All ticket sales final, no refunds or exchanges.

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you have questions regarding your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.

The South Loop neighborhood between 16th Street and Cermak Road has seen extraordinary changes over the past 150 years. It was the most exclusive residential district in Chicago in the late 19th century but underwent a rapid transformation in the early 20th century as business and industry moved into the area. By the 1950s, it was declared one of the worst slums in the city, but saw a renaissance in the first decades of the 21st century as new residents embraced the advantages of living close to downtown.

Throughout this time, Second Presbyterian Church has remained the one constant, with the year 2023 marking the 150th anniversary of the completion of its landmarked building at Michigan and Cullerton. In this heavily illustrated lecture by William Tyre, Executive Director and Curator of Glessner House, attendees will see the transformation of the neighborhood over the decades, and how Second Presbyterian has responded to those changes. Topics include the Gilded Age mansions and their residents, the transformation of Michigan Avenue into Motor Row, the development of the printing and publishing industry, the nearby red light district known as the “Levee,” Prohibition, the impact of the adjacent Chinatown and Bronzeville communities, and the factors that led to the recent residential rebirth.

This is a free program, but reservations are requested. The program is co-sponsored by Glessner House, Friends of Historic Second Church, and Second Presbyterian Church.

Reserve Your Free Ticket

Artist and collector Frederic Clay Bartlett was born on June 1, 1873 in Chicago, the son of a partner in the successful wholesale hardware firm of Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. In honor of the 150th anniversary of his birth, this symposium brings together several individuals who will speak about various aspects of his life and career. The event will take place at the National Historic Landmark Second Presbyterian Church, which features one of the largest extant collections of Bartlett’s works, including the recently restored Tree of Life mural (1903).

Schedule

9:00am - Check in and tours of the sanctuary

9:30am - William Tyre, Executive Director and Curator, Glessner House, will speak on Bartlett’s life and career, including significant Chicago commissions at the University Club, Second and Fourth Presbyterian churches, and the Bartlett Gymnasium at the University of Chicago

10:10am - Jeffrey Nigro, Research Associate, Art Institute of Chicago, will speak on the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection, assembled by Frederic and Helen Bartlett, and including such iconic works as Picasso’s The Old Guitarist and Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte

10:50am - Break

11:10am - Video presentation. Take a virtual tour of Bonnet House, Bartlett’s artistic winter home (and gardens) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, which is open to the public as a historic site

11:50am - Peter Schoenmann, principal, Parma Conservation, will speak about the recent restoration of Bartlett’s huge “Tree of Life” mural on the front wall of the sanctuary

12:30pm - Closing and additional tours

Co-sponsored by Glessner House and Friends of Historic Second Church. Please note that this symposium is only being offered in-person.

$40 per person / $32 for members

Register Has Closed

You can purchase tickets in person by cash or check beginning at 8:30 am on site.

All ticket sales final, no refunds or exchanges.

* All members must sign-in to our Neon database to receive member discounts. Login to your account first and if you continue to have questions regarding with your account please email info@historicsecondchurch.org.