Trinity Wall Street Church

Trinity Wall Street Church is an Episcopal church located in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Part of New York’s Episcopal Diocese, Trinity is located at intersection on Broadway, at the Wall Street intersection that leads to the financial distric. A historic church with a history spanning just over three centuries, Trinity has endured through three incarnations.

The original Trinity Church was granted its charter in 1697 from England’s King William III and the initial service was held there the following year. Over the next half-century, it expanded to include Trinity School and King’s College, which later became Columbia University. During the War of Independence, though many parishioners were revolutionaries, the clergy were forced to remain loyal to the Crown.

The church burned to the ground during the war, but was rebuilt and became the second Trinity in the late 1780s, after which then-President George Washington regularly attended services at St. Paul Chapised its stel. The second version of Trinity survived until the late 1830s, when heavy snows compromructure and it was torn down.

The present church is the third incarnation. It was designed in 1846 by Richard Upjohn and its spire was the highest point in New York City for nearly fifty years. Another of the Trinity’s distinctive features is a set of huge bronze doors designed after the doors of a European church. Richard Morris Hunt designed them based on the original design at the Baptistery in Florence, Italy.

Another notable landmark in front of the church is Trinity Root. Created by Steven Tobin from the roots of the famed sycamore tree buried in debris from the fallout of the World Trade Center Tower One collapse on 9/11, it stands in front of Trinity Church today.

Scores of famous people are buried in Trinity Cemetery. Two of the more prominent names are Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton. Founding Father and first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton lies under a white stone pyramid located on the lot’s graveyard. The man who invented the steamboat, Fulton lies buried in a nearby family vault with his wife.

Trinity Church was unwittingly involved in the Wall Street protests that occupied parts of the city in the latter part of 2011. While the clergy offered spiritual support to the protesters, they declined when the demonstrators asked to use land adjacent to church-owned property as a place to camp.

As for services, Trinity offers daily worship and is often used for baptisms and weddings, as well. Trinity Churchyard is open to the public, weather permitting, every day. Trinity Cemetery and Mausoleum, however, are only open Monday through Friday. A tour of Trinity’s grounds starts every day at 2 pm and the church is easily accessible by each of the city’s subway lines. Also available are nearby hotels and parking for Sunday services. There’s even a gift shop selling learning materials for children, devotionals for churchgoers, hymnals, prayer books, jewelry, and music CDs. Finally, there is Trinity Preschool and Nursery, which offers daycare services for children up to five years of age.