Step inside the Chicago Cultural Center in Illinois, United States, and your eyes are instantly drawn upwards to a glowing canopy of colour—the Tiffany Dome. Suspended above Preston Bradley Hall, this masterpiece spans over 11 metres in diameter and is composed of roughly 30,000 pieces of Favrile glass, each shaped like a fish scale. Sunlight filters through its translucent surface, shifting blues and golds across its intricate pattern.

The building beneath it opened in 1897 as Chicago's first central public library, designed to showcase craftsmanship and civic pride. Today, it serves as a free cultural hub, hosting exhibitions, performances and public programs.

Once hidden beneath a protective outer layer, the dome was fully restored in 2008, reintroducing natural light to this historic space. Beneath its glow, architecture and artistry merge, transforming a former reading room into one of the city's most striking interiors.