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The Tiffany Tour: Where to find his work locally
Thursday, October 12, 2006

Many Western Pennsylvania industrialists acquired their fortunes during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, so this region abounds with examples of Tiffany's work. Here are 14 places where you can see his artistry:

Lamp shield with butterfly, done c. 1900, is courtesy of Lillian Nassau Ltd., New York. It's in the Carnegie Museum of Art's current exhibit. But many other Tiffany creations reside in Pittsburgh permanently.
Click photo for larger image.

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The largest Tiffany windows in the tri-state area are found at Calvary United Methodist Church, 971 Beech Ave., at Allegheny Avenue in Allegheny West on the North Side.

On both sides of the sanctuary are two 30-foot-high triptychs. One features Christ's resurrection, the other his ascension. The back window, which portrays the apocalypse, was the most costly stained glass commission of its time by Tiffany's studio. Made in 1894 or 1895, it was done to honor Bishop Matthew Simpson, who spoke at Abraham Lincoln's funeral. A recent restoration, completed in 2003 by Stained Glass Resources, removed more than 100 years of dirt from all of the windows.

Visitors can see the windows after the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service or during the Tiffany Concert Series. The first concert is at 4 p.m. Oct. 29. Next year's concerts are March 11, April 29 and May 6. Docents are available to lead tours one hour before the 4 p.m. concerts. For more information about the concerts, call 412-323-1070.

Other locations
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Downtown

The First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, 615 Grant St. The Good Shepherd Window is a triple lancet that contains more than 500 square feet of Favrile glass. It was designed in 1898 by Frederick Wilson of Tiffany Studios. For more information, visit www.flcpittsburgh.org or call 412-471-8125.

First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, 320 Sixth Ave. The sanctuary is flanked by seven stained-glass windows on either side. Thirteen of these Tiffany windows are made of double-layer glass, hand painted and backed with a plating of opalescent and Favrile glass. For more information, visit www.fpcp.org or call 412-471-3436.

North Side

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Square, exhibits a 12-foot-high stained-glass window attributed to Tiffany. The window was formerly installed in the Henry W. Oliver home on Ridge Avenue. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays; noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, visit www.pittsburghkids.org or call 412-322-5058.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 957 W. North Ave., is a National Historic Landmark. Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and built in 1886, the church has three Tiffany windows given in memory of Malcolm Hay. Tours are available by appointment. Call 412-231-0454.

East End

Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Tiffany tour is available Tuesdays through Sundays Oct. 15 through Jan. 15, free with museum admission. Included in the museum's collection are several objects that are regularly on view in the galleries. These include an exquisite Lamp with Dragonfly motif (1900-10), a group of five stained-glass windows from the long-demolished Richard Beatty Mellon mansion, and a one-of-a-kind silver coffee pot inspired by Tiffany's passion for Egypt. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $10; $7 seniors; $6 children/students.

Third Presbyterian Church, 5701 Fifth Ave., Shadyside, has six sanctuary windows designed by Tiffany Studios, including Frederick Wilson's Abraham and Isaac, 1903. For more information, visit www.thirdchurch.org or call 412-661-4710.

At Chatham College, Shadyside, the Tiffany Alumnae Memorial Window is the oldest of its type in Pittsburgh and contains very early examples of Favrile glass. The 10--by-8-foot window, which was restored in 2000, is backlit and on view in the Kresge Atrium of Chatham's Science Complex. An exhibition about the window's history is in the sitting room of the ground-floor atrium. For more information, visit www.chatham.edu or call 412-365-1125.


The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. The museum owns the Thomas Lynch Tiffany Window, which was commissioned in 1905 to commemorate the birthplace of Lynch's father, Patrick. This faithful rendering of the family's thatch-roofed cottage with window boxes is unusual because much of Tiffany's work focused on universal themes and was not usually so specific. For more information, visit www.wmuseumaa.org or call 724-837-1500.

Fayette County

Trinity United Presbyterian Church, 79 W. Fayette St., Uniontown, is the home of seven outstanding Tiffany windows. First shown in 1893 at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, these windows were part of the artist's award-winning exhibit. While the church was being built in 1894, a congregation member purchased the windows and donated them. For more information, call 724-437-2709.

At Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, visitors can see a Tiffany window that was installed as a ceiling in an indoor atrium that connects the business center to the lodge. At the bottom of the ramp that leads to the atrium is a three-paneled window with wisteria. The collection also includes lamps with peonies, roses, dragonflies, poppies and poinsettias as well as a lamp with a geometric pattern. A free tour of the Hardy family's art collection is offered daily at 3 p.m. to resort guests. Special tours for groups can be arranged for $10 per person. For more information, visit www.nemacolin.com or call 724-329-8555.

Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright house commissioned by Edgar Kaufmann Sr., owns 20 Tiffany pieces, including a lotus leaf lamp, an inkstand and a flower-shaped Favrile glass vase. The home, cantilevered over a waterfall, is in Mill Run. Visit www.fallingwater.org or call visitor services at 724-329-8502.

Outlying Region

St. John's Episcopal Church, 141 Buffalo St., Franklin, Venango County, boasts a collection of 30 Tiffany windows and a rose window made of Favrile glass that is reputed to be one of the finest colored glass windows in the world. For information, visit stjohnsfranklin.org or call 1-814-432-5161. Donations for tours are $4 per person and $3 per person for groups of 30 or more.

Grace Presbyterian Church, 155 N. Jefferson St., Kittanning, Armstrong County, has seven Tiffany windows that were installed in 1910. Guided tours are available by appointment only. Contact Pastor Art Seaman at artseaman@adelphia.net or call 724-548-5609.

First published on October 12, 2006 at 12:00 am
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