This City Is Home To The Worlds Largest Tiffany Glass Dome

Most people today think about little blue boxes or Audrey Hepburn in a tiara when they think about Tiffany & Co. However, way before it made jewelry, the company was known around the globe for its elegant decorative glass. One of the most spectacular displays of this craftsmanship is the world’s largest Tiffany glass dome in Chicago.

A ceiling to look up to

Fabricated in bright colors and arranged into dramatic windows and lighting, Tiffany’s glasswork has often been described as paintings made out of glass. Chicago’s Tiffany glass dome is unquestionably one of the most spectacular ceilings in the Windy City—and perhaps the world. At 38 feet (11.58 meters) in diameter and 1,000 square feet (92.9 square meters) total, the colorful dome is a prominent feature of Preston Bradley Hall in the city’s Cultural Center downtown. Jacob A. Holzer, the leading mosaicist at Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company of New York in the late 1800s, designed the ceiling using roughly 30,000 individual pieces of glass. Each piece is shaped like a fish scale.

The Tiffany Dome at the Chicago Cultural Center

The history behind the hall

Originally built as part of Chicago’s first public library in 1897, the dome has since gone through major changes and renovations. In 1935, a giant exterior covering made of concrete and copper was laid on top of the dome, completely preventing sunlight from reaching the library. The dome remained in the dark for decades, even during the building’s transition into the Chicago Cultural Center in 1977.

Finally, in 2007, the City of Chicago and local design firm Wight & Company embarked on a seven-month restoration project to bring the Tiffany dome back to its original splendor. Each piece of glass was meticulously extracted, cleaned and restored off-site, before being returned to its original place in the dome. Workers removed the concrete and copper covering and replaced it with a translucent, protective exterior. This new covering reduces the need for electric lighting and increases the Cultural Center’s energy efficiency—a win-win. Today, visitors can bask in natural light under the rotunda just as Chicagoans did at the turn of the century.

More Tiffany in Chicago

The Cultural Center offers free tours around its premises, including Preston Bradley Hall and the Tiffany Dome, Wednesday through Saturday. It also hosts hundreds of art exhibitions, dance performances, concerts and events throughout the year. Plus, another record-breaking Tiffany ceiling is on display just blocks away! Inside Macy’s on State Street, shoppers can view the world’s largest Tiffany mosaic on the building’s vaulted ceiling. With over 1.6 million individual pieces of Tiffany glass, the mosaic is jaw-dropping, certainly. But, it doesn’t offer the colorful sunlight that draws visitors to the Cultural Center’s dome—even Audrey Hepburn would have to agree with that.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.