St. David’s Episcopal in Aurora, artistic treasures

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I drive by St. David’s Episcopal often, and I had no idea that it holds significant artistic treasures inside the red double doors facing Randall Road. The mid-century, wood chapel is set back at the northeast corner of Randall Road and Illinois Avenue.

There’s no sidewalk or bike lane along Randall Road, so I’ve appreciated the church’s dark wood paneling and A-frame architecture from my car over the years. It has a wonderful steeple that stands out against the sky on bright, blue days.

Then I saw a social media post from Apollo Magazine about an article they published on Edgar Miller, “Chicago’s answer to William Morris.” Morris was an important part of the arts and crafts movement in the last half of the 1800s in Britain, and helped popularize handcrafted textiles, stained glass, wallpapers and carpets. Morris famously said, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

I wasn’t aware of Miller’s work, so I quickly looked it up, and found that the Chicago-based artist and craftsman has several major works in the area, including one Aurora site, St. David’s Episcopal Church.

The church was likely built in 1959, and in 1960 and 1961, Miller designed and installed eight stained glass windows, a carved wall featuring St. John the Baptist and Jesus in the baptistery, and a six-foot Christus Rex sculpture that hangs above the altar.

What an exciting find. Being familiar with my hometown for almost 50 years, this was a wonderful discovery for me. I love Aurora’s architectural and art treasures, and now there’s one more to add to the list along with George Grant Elmslie buildings, a Frank Lloyd Wright house, and others.

I proceeded to reach out to St. David’s by email, and then attended a Sunday morning service with my husband. Everyone at the church was very welcoming, and we were thrilled to see Miller’s works in person. I mentioned Edgar Miller to some, but no one seemed to know about Miller’s works.

Based on some online research, a past historian at the church moved to another state, and the reverend is an interim rector driving to Aurora from Park Ridge.

Miller’s works at St. David’s in Aurora filled me with wonder and awe. The intricacy of the handlettering, beautiful patterns, and detailed figures in the stained glass panels are impressive. The primary colors and whimsical touches like crosshatched wings and finely drawn flora are sure to induce joy in even the passive viewer. What a gift to have these works of art in our city.

A Bloomberg article from 2018 called Miller a “virtuoso in any medium he chose: painting, sculpture, stained glass, architecture, interior design, printmaking, metalwork, cutlery, graphic design.” Miller, who died at age 93 in 1993, used those skills to build a creative community on Chicago’s near-north side in the 1920s and beyond.

In Wheaton at Cantingy Park, Miller and the architect Andrew Rebori created Colonel McCormick and his wife Amy’s tomb and memorial. In Brookfield, Miller created the official map for the Brookfield Zoological Park and designed the first Monkey Island, along with other projects, in the early 1930s.

Miller has dozens of works, mostly in Chicago, but also scattered around the country, like the murals at Pabst Blue Ribbon Hall in Milwaukee and bronze relief sculptures at the state capitol in Bismarck, North Dakota.

It is a joy to learn about both history and art in Aurora. Luckily, we have Aurora Historical Society to preserve and retell history that is important and impactful to our city. I recently learned that funding through the city’s Quality of Life Grants has been slowly on the decline for the nonprofit.

Aurora Historical Society, established in 1906, receives annual funding from the city grant program, which funded about 40 nonprofits in 2024, many being social service agencies. Aurora Historical Society has seen its city funding fall from well over $100,000 about 20 years ago to $35,000 this year. In 2024, they received $50,000 from the grant program.

We can do better in honoring our history, art, and culture. With the largest ever city budget just being passed, I hope that Aurora’s important historical and cultural institutions aren’t overlooked to the point of extinction.

Add these events to your 2025 calendar:

•July 26 & 27 Geneva Arts Fair, Geneva.

•August 30 Alley Art Festival will celebrate 15 years in downtown Aurora on the last Saturday of August 2025. alleyartaurora.com.

Marissa Amoni is the owner of Marissa Bright, a public relations and event management company specializing in shining the light on nonprofits and small businesses. Follow her on Instagram
@marissashinesbright.

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