Richmond’s Reid Center offers a rare window of opportunity to admire some amazing Tiffany stained glass art

Like his dad Charles Lewis Tiffany of Tiffany & Co. jewelry fame, Louis Comfort Tiffany found his own way to make the world a little more beautiful. Opening his own New York City-based art glass studio in 1885, Louis produced a vibrant inventory of “favrile” (i.e. made by hand) stained-glass masterpieces that included lamps, vases and painstakingly detailed window panels in the years that followed.

Today, Tiffany’s incredible works remain on display in art museums, private collections, galleries, churches and libraries across the country — and even right here in downtown Richmond! The Reid Center (formerly the Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church) on North A Street exclusively houses 62 Tiffany windows across its interior, one of just a handful of churches in the United States that can boast this prestigious honor.

Richmond native, tinplate industrialist and New York financier Daniel Reid commissioned the church in 1904 to honor his parents, in addition to donating funds for the creation of Reid Hospital and supporting many other local organizations. Sparing no expense, Reid tapped Louis Tiffany to design the entire project, including the windows, a dramatic vaulted ceiling, a bell tower and a massive 1906 pipe organ built by Hook and Hastings House of Boston.

At the time of the 1905-1906 installation period, each window was estimated to cost $2,000 to $3,000 — somewhere between $73,000 and $110,000 each by modern comparison.

Now a historic performing arts venue, the Reid Center makes a visually and acoustically stunning setting for concerts, choirs, seasonal events and film screenings. Guests are welcome to view and admire the windows during free tours on the second Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. (January excluded). Free lunchtime concerts from noon to 1 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month provide additional opportunities to pay a visit.

Can’t get enough? Stop by Morrison-Reeves Library, where you’ll find an additional Tiffany window overlooking the Reading Garden, the first to be installed in town back in 1895. And although they’re not authentic, the hanging glass lamps and panels at Clara’s Pizza King keep the colorful vibes going through lunch or dinner.

Blog Written by: Amy Lynch