The Van Cortlandt sugar house and the New England Hotel at 111 Broadway were destroyed in 1852.The Old Trinity Building, at 111 Broadway, was erected next to the Trinity Churchyard and fronting three streets: Broadway, Thames and Trinity Place. It was owned by Horace Brigham Claflin (1811-1885), head of the largest wholesale dry goods house in the United States and one of the founders of the Continental Bank and Trust Company. The Trinity Building, adjacent to the churchyard of Richard Upjohn's neo-Gothic Trinity Church, replaced an 1853 Upjohn structure of the same name.

Designed in neo-Gothic style to harmonize with nearby Trinity Church, this building is noted for the limestone facade and carefully detailed ornamented towers. Among the first Gothic-inspired skyscrapers in New York.A dry goods merchant, H.B. Claflin, together with associates, replaced the sugar house and hotel with a large building, five neo-Romanesque stories of yellowish brick with terracotta trim, except the basement, which was cut brownstone. By the end of May, 1853, nearly all the space was let, despite high rentals.From 1892 the New York Real Estate Salesrooms had quarters in the basement of the Trinity Building. In its room all the court and the majority of other auction sales in that time were held. The real estate business of Peter F. Meyer &amp; Co. – Richard Croker and Peter F. Meyer – had offices in the building almost continuously for 43 years. Many prominent lawyers had offices there, too. When the building was finally emptied on April 30, 1903, a list of individuals and firms was published with their new addresses; it comprised more than 130 names, mostly lawyers and real estate businesses.

The buildings to their right have been replaced by Zucotti Park  

Besides the stairwell, there was an ample well-hole from top to bottom, which both for the purpose of ventilation and of light  

shows the site of Richard Upjohn's 1853 Trinity Building.  

Trinity Building

The land was originally purchased in 1696. The first Trinity Church building, a modest rectangular structure with a gambrel roof and small porch. According to historical records, Captain William Kidd lent the runner and tackle from his ship for hoisting the stones. President Washington and members of his government often worshiped there.

The church was destroyed in the Great New York City Fire of 1776, which started in the Fighting Cocks Tavern, destroying between 400 and 500 buildings and houses, and leaving thousands of New Yorkers homeless.

Construction on the second Trinity Church building began in 1788; it was consecrated in 1790. St. Paul's Chapel was used while the second Trinity Church was being built.The second Trinity Church was built facing Wall Street; it was 200 feet tall, and longer and wider than its predecessor. Building a bigger church was beneficial because the population of New York City was expanding.&nbsp;

The church was torn down after being weakened by severe snows during the winter of 1838–39.

The third and current Trinity Church began construction in 1839 and was finished in 1846. The Gothic Revival brownstone church's Neo-Gothic spire, surmounted by a gilded cross, dominated the skyline of lower Manhattan. Trinity was a welcoming beacon for ships sailing into New York Harbor.Trinity Church held the title of tallest building in the United States until 1869, when it was surpassed by St. Michael's Church, Old Town, Chicago. Trinity continued to be the tallest in New York City, with its 281-foot (86 m) spire and cross, until it was surpassed in 1890 by the New York World Building.The tower of Trinity Church currently contains 23 bells, the heaviest of which weighs 27 U.S. hundredweight (1,225 kilograms [2,701 lb]).Trinity Church has three sets of impressive bronze doors, donated by William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor in memory of his father, John Jacob Astor III. Conceived by Richard Morris Hunt, they date from 1893 and were produced by Karl Bitter (east door), J. Massey Rhind (south door), and Charles Henry Niehaus (north door). The north and east doors each consists of six panels from Church history or the Bible, and the south door depicts the history of New York in its six panels.

When the Episcopal Bishop of New York consecrated Trinity Church on Ascension Day (May 1) 1846, its soaring Gothic Revival spire, surmounted by a gilded cross, dominated the skyline of lower Manhattan. Trinity was a welcoming beacon for ships sailing into New York Harbor. Both Grace and Trinity Churches were completed and consecrated in 1846.

In 1876–1877, a reredos and altar were erected in memory of William Backhouse Astor, Sr., to the designs of architect Frederick Clarke Withers.

Trinity Church is undertaking an extensive restoration and renovation that encompasses the church interiors and the surrounding terraces and grounds. The central nave and chapel interiors will receive a full restoration, and the chancel will also be renovated to accommodate ADA accessibility and enhance the worship experience. The historic stained glass windows in the nave and chancel—widely considered some of the finest examples of early American stained glass in the nation—will receive a full, off-site studio conservation. Non-historic back-of-house spaces including the vestry, sacristy, clergy staff, and choir practice rooms will be extensively renovated to meet the church’s current and projected needs. The exterior terraces will be modified to provide clearer circulation, well-defined outdoor spaces for both gathering and quiet contemplation, and comprehensive ADA accessibility. A new glass canopy, with steel supports conceived as a modern interpretation of gothic structural practice, will be introduced at the south terrace, facilitating church processions under cover from inclement weather.

The cemetery is also notable as the final resting place for ship builder Robert Fulton and Alexander Hamilton.The third Trinity Church on its site still stands today at the head of Wall Street. The neo-gothic landmark was the highest point on New York's skyline until the completion of the World Building in 1890. <a href="https://culturenow.org/people/the-skyscraper-museum?name=The_Skyscraper_Museum">[1]</a>&nbsp;

Ezekiel Porter Belden, New York, Past, Present, and Future, pg. ix. Putnam, 1849.

A panoramic view of New York in the wake of the fire which virtually destroyed the city (20-21 September 1776). New York, a watercolour by Robert Raymond RN (Warrant Officer). Taken from the Maritime Journal of Warrant Officer Robert Raymond RN (1767-1783). commencing, 13 May 1767.” Folio, 320 pp., 377 x 245 mm., bound in contemporary half vellum and pasteboards.&nbsp;

Printmakers - Asher B. Durand, Henry Bryan Hall, Albert Rosenthal and Max Rosenthal.&nbsp;Draughtsmen -David McNeely Stauffer.

Trinity Church and Graveyard

 Richard Upjohn moved his office into the Trinity building and in 1857 was one of the founders of the American Institute of Architects, which was established there. 

'February 23, 1857, by thirteen architects of ideals and vision. &nbsp;Throughout the years its members have contributed to the advancement of architecture and have encouraged the development of the allied arts, expressing the aspirations of our people, bringing into their lives inspiration, beauty, and comfort.&nbsp;Erected February 23, 1957Rededicated April 13, 2007 &nbsp;In celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the AIA'&nbsp;

Trinity Buildings

American Institute of Architects founded

St. John's Chapel, an Episcopal church in Manhattan's Tribeca. It featured a prominent sandstone portico and a towering spire. However, the neighborhood declined after the park was sold for a railroad terminal in 1867.

The chapel was eventually demolished in 1918 during the expansion of Varick Street and construction of the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line. Despite its historical significance, the Episcopal Church chose not to preserve it.

The year it was sold to be replaced by a railroad freight depot. St. John's Chapel can be seen in the background. Presumably from the Hudson Street side. The scene depicts ice skaters during the winter of 1866. St. John's Chapel can be seen in the background.

St. John's Chapel

George Washington Statue, sculpture Henry Kirke Brown, assisted by John Quincy Adams Ward

Union Square Timeline Medallion 11

Richard Upjohn (1802 – 1878) was a British-born American architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn was trained as a cabinetmaker and had his own furniture construction business and architectural carpentry business. He came to the United States to continue his work. He also did extensive work and helped to popularize the Italianate style. He was a founder and the first president of the American Institute of Architects.

Richard Upjohn

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