Look Up

Ceilings do not usually grab my attention. Whenever retesting this notion, forgetting my previous experiences, a glowing white expanse looks down with interruptions of lighting fixtures or piping to confirm its uneventful temperament. And when I see a drop ceiling, a tear falls for all under its covering. Please raise the roof and get rid of it!

Many too concerned with where their feet tread neglect to look up, and forget that a ceiling replaces the commanding sky or foliage covering. With meticulous patterning, and glowing sensations, everyday worries pose no match for the Tiffany domes and ceiling mosaics of Chicago, which are truly remarkable displays of glasswork and tiling.

Marshall Fields, now Macys, enjoys a mosaic of Tiffany glass over its lingerie department. Now, my inquiry falls on if the placement of this particular department purposefully occurred. Maybe planners found the lace and frill a great complement to the mosaic’s artistry or thought the irony irresistible. Nonetheless, my camera clicked away, keeping its focus on the shimmering blue tiles, ornate detailing, and hanging amber-colored lanterns.

The next location to view these glass skies, a former library and current Cultural Center, did not pose surroundings with such amusements. However, only my imagination could conjure the feeling of studying and reading under such a crafted display. Resembling a cool sky, the first dome swirled with light blue glass toward a more intricately laid center. Mosaic walls and molding supported its expression, and little lights lined the dome for glints and glistens. Around the corner and though a couple of rooms, the second dome floated overhead, comprised of greens, yellows, and peach colored glass arranged in abstract floral patterns.

Now, how much would this cost and would I be able to have one for myself? In the news, a Vermont church offered its stained glass window, a spectacular nine foot presentation of Tiffany work, to bidders expecting sixty to eighty thousand dollars return. My soul couldn’t buy one of those domes! And no matter- if installed in a little Boston apartment, no room would be left to sleep. Chicago, you win, but I’ll be back.