Preston Bradley Hall Mosaics
The Chicago Cultural Center opened in 1897 as Chicago’s first public library and as a memorial hall and meeting space for Civil War veterans. The building was constructed in the neoclassical style with some Italian Renaissance elements mainly under the direction of Charles Allerton Coolidge of the Boston architecture firm Shepley, Rutan, & Coolidge. A significant portion of the interior decoration was constructed from mosaic due to its ease of cleaning; the building’s location in the heart of downtown and across the street from a major railyard necessitated a surface that could withstand soot and grime. The Evans Marble Company was awarded the contract for interior finish decoration. While they remained in charge of the marble floor mosaics, they subsequently subcontracted the color design, painting, and glass mosaics to the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. Elaborate glass mosaic panels adorn the upper wall friezes, arches, stairways, and in the dome on the south side of the building. The mosaics were inlaid into plaster panels at the Tiffany Studio in New York, transported to site, and installed using traditional decorative plaster hanging techniques. One of the most elaborately decorated spaces being the delivery room, known today as Preston Bradley Hall.
In 2023, EverGreene performed a visual and tactile conditions assessment of select mosaic elements in the building; this included the several of the major areas of marble flooring, as well as the Tiffany frieze and inlay mosaics on the third floor landing, corridors, and in Preston Bradley Hall. Areas were visually assessed and sounded using a mallet to assess the integrity and check for subsurface conditions. Findings were meticulously recorded on 3-D scans of the spaces procured by our conservators prior to beginning work on site. It was determined that environmental factors and building settlement have caused the glass mosaics to become fragile and prone to delamination, detachment, and loss.
In 2025, our conservators returned to Preston Bradley Hall to perform additional investigations and testing on the Preston Bradley Hall frieze and dome mosaics to determine best methods for full scale conservation; areas of focus included the southwest corner of the east room and the southeast corner of the central dome. Sections were removed and the substructure of the walls were investigated to confirm structural mechanics, as well as conditions. Based upon findings from both investigations, as well as EverGreene’s extensive experience with mosaic conservation and restoration, methodologies for repair were determined and tested on the south wall it the east room. The plaster panels were reinforced using traditional decorative plaster techniques, the rear of the plaster was consolidated, all major cracks were repaired, missing tiles were replaced, and the entire surface was cleaned. Treatment testing was found to be successful and are recommended for future treatment.
In anticipation of full scale conservation, our conservation team also performed a small paint study on the plaster ceiling finishes to identify original color schemes and application methodologies.
The building has only received minimal repairs and interventions over its history, including a major restoration of the Grand Army of the Republic rooms by EverGreene in 2021. Today the space celebrates art and culture by offering free art and cultural programming to the public, as well as event space.
