The Reid Center

One of only a handful of churches in the United States that can claim the honor, The Reid Center in Richmond, Indiana, boasts a stunning interior outfitted entirely with authentic Tiffany & Co. stained-glass windows. Daniel Reid, a native son of Richmond who became a tinplate industrialist and eventual New York financier, commissioned the Gothic-style structure in 1904 as a loving tribute to his parents. (He also donated funds to establish Reid Hospital and support Earlham College, the Richmond Art Association and other local organizations.) 

Sparing no expense on construction, Reid contracted Louis Comfort Tiffany himself to manage the project design, including 62 original art windows. The property also boasts meticulously detailed woodwork, a bell tower, a spectacular 1906 pipe organ from Hook and Hastings House of Boston, and a 1905 Starr concert grand piano built in Richmond (the only known instrument of its kind still in existence).

At the time of their installation during 1905 and 1906, each favrile (meaning “made by hand”) stained-glass window was estimated to cost between $2,000 and $3,000, which would translate to a a range of $73,000 to $110,000 by modern standards. In total, Daniel Reid spent about what would be equivalent to around $7.5 million today on the structure. 

Dedicated on May 13, 1906, the Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church operated until 2017. Now, it functions as a historic performing arts venue for live music, seasonal events and silent-film screenings with organ accompaniment. Visitors can admire the colorful collection of windows during free monthly tours and a lunchtime concert series. And that’s not Richmond’s only Tiffany & Co. claim to fame. Morrison-Reeves Library just a few blocks up the street houses a Tiffany window installed in 1895 that overlooks its Reading Garden. 1004 N. A St., Richmond, Indiana 47374, 765/966-7618, reidcenter.org