Trinity Church and Cemetary

History: This monument stands for Dr. William James MacNeven, the Irish patriot who came to the United States in 1805. Known as the Father of American Chemistry, MacNeven is buried on the Riker Farm in the Astoria section of Queens, N.Y. MacNeven was an active Roman Catholic throughout his life.&nbsp;

St. Paul's Chapel

In memory of Thomas Addis Emmett. Who/ Exemplified in his conduct/ and advanced by his Integrity/ The policy and principles/ Of the United Irishmen--/ To forward a brotherhood/ Of Affection/ A community of rights,/ An identity of interests,/ And a union oHistory: Hon. Thomas Addis Emmet was Attorney General of New York State in 1812. An Irish patriot who came to the United States in 1804, he is buried in the churchyard of St. Mark's in the Bowery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.&nbsp;

Trinity Church

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

The land was leased to Trinity Church, which then gained title to the land under a 212-acre (86-hectare) patent from Queen Anne in 1705. During this time, the land became known as the "Church Farm"

1776 Ratzer Map - a swampy wetland of upland and salt marsh. A 62-acre farmstead granted to Dutch immigrant Roeloff Jansen in 1636 by New Amsterdam governor Wouter van Twiller

on the former site of St. John's Park.Source: Manual of the Corporation of the city of New York

The name "St. John's Park", after the church, had begun to be used instead of "Hudson Square".

St. John's Park

Inscription ‘On the occasion of Trinity Church’s tercentenary this marks a time capsule to be opened on Trinity Sunday 100 years hence 25 May 1997’

To mark it's 300th Anniversary to be opened on its 400th Anniversary, Trinity Church buried a 1997 Time Capsule.&nbsp;

Trinity Church Wall Street

Trinity Church’s Tercentenary

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

Just five days after the bicentennial of an event not widely celebrated in her own United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II came to Trinity Church to greet the people of a parish established by one of her predecessors, King William, back in the 17th century, and to collect 279 peppercorns in some very overdue rent.

on the occasion of her gracious visit9 July 1976His Royal Highness the Prince Philip stood nearby

Queen Elizabeth II collected rent from Trinity Church

A historic parish in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, whose church is located in Lower Manhattan.

St. Paul’s Chapel opened in 1766 and has been continuously operating since then. It survived the  fire of 1776 and was where many of the founding fathers prayed including George Washington who famously went there after his inauguration on April 30, 1789.  The first public artwork commissioned for America was the Tomb of Richard Montgomery. &nbsp;After September 11th St. Paul’s was the ‘Chapel that Stood’. Please join cultureNOW, the Lower Manhattan Historical Association, the Federal Hall Conservancy &amp; Trinity Wall Street for an afternoon symposium highlighting the cultural richness of this amazing church.

Federal Hall National Memorial

The Lower Manhattan Historical Association ("LMHA") holds a parade through Lower Manhattan every year starting 2015.This parade is part of a resurgence of patriotic activities in Lower Manhattan on July 4, after a long hiatus from 1976 to 2015. It is in recognition of the recent growth of Lower Manhattan as one of the City's fastest growing residential neighborhoods and as one of the City's major centers of historical tourism.The parade, which traverses Wall Street and passes many of the historic monuments in Lower Manhattan - is designed to provide marchers and spectators with an understanding of the tremendous historic importance of Lower Manhattan.

Reporter The New York Times, Pro Bono History Advisor, Federal Hall Conservancy

Executive Director Chinatown BID/PartnershipBoard, cultureNOWBoard, Lower Manhattan Historical Association

President, cultureNOW; Vice President, Lower Manhattan Historical Association

Archivist, Trinity Church Wall Street

Seth Kaller Inc, Historical Documents &amp; Legacy Collections

Founding Principal, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects; Former President for the Public Design Commission of the City of New York.

Co-Founder &amp; Chairman of the Lower Manhattan Historical Association

Please enter between Broadway & Church Street

St Paul's Chapel

It Happened Here : St Pauls Chapel - Places Over Time

Wellington Chen is a first-generation Asian American with a lifelong interest in community resuscitation. He is a highly respected public servant and long-time community advocate and planner. Mr. Chen--a long-time NYC resident--was deeply involved in community revival, including the Downtown Flushing revitalization efforts. Wellington was also the first Asian American to serve on a community board in Queens and a local LDC. He co-founded an affordable housing company in 1989 to rehab and help to stem the housing crisis.An architect by training, he worked for I.M. Pei and Partners. He served as a member of Community Board 7 for over 13 years, and is currently on the boards of the Bowne House Historical Society; Coro NY Leadership Center; DASNY; Governor’s Island Community Advi-sory Board; GrowNYC: The NYC Landmarks Preserva-tion Commission (LPC); the Lower Manhattan Histor-ical Society; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the NYC Regional Economic Development Council; YMCA of Greater NY, etc. Wellington was born in Taiwan and grew up in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Brazil before coming to America to complete his architectural and environmental studies.

Sam Roberts is a pro-bono history advisor/writer for Federal Hall. He has been a reporter, columnist, and editor for The New York Times and New York Daily News during a journalism career that spans more than 50 years. He is also the host of The New York Times Close Up, an hour-long weekly news and interview program on cable channel NY1 that he inaugurated in 1992. He is the author of 10 books including The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. A native New Yorker, he lives in New York City.

Seth Kaller is a distinguished authority in the acquisition, authentication, appraisal, and sale of rare historical documents and artifacts. His expertise has facilitated the creation of museum-grade collections for both individuals and institutions, as well as the establishment of legacy collections intended for philanthropic donations. His portfolio includes significant manuscripts, documents, and rare books pertaining to pivotal historical events and figures, such as the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Robert E. Lee.Over the course of nearly two decades, Kaller was instrumental in the procurement of 65,000 documents for Lew Lehrman and Dick Gilder. He also oversaw the management of the collection’s donation to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, which is currently housed at the New-York Historical Society. The programs of the Gilder Lehrman Institute are now utilized by over 31,000 affiliated schools. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, their EduHam partnership with Broadway’s HAMILTON transitioned online, engaging 400,000 students nationwide in its inaugural year.Kaller is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Antiquarian Society, the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, The Professional Autograph Dealers Association, and the Manuscript Society.

Abby Suckle received her Master of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to opening her own architectural firm, she practiced architecture with Pei Cobb Freed &amp; Partners. She has an architectural practice in New York City with work ranging from residential to public buildings. As the President of cultureNOW, she leads the Museum Without Walls project, which is an attempt to expand beyond gallery walls to create an acoustiguide to the environment blending art architecture and history. She has curated two recent exhibitions on Mapping in New York and Boston. She has taught at Parsons, the Boston Architectural Center and Harvard where she is currently collaborating on a course about Design for Resilience post Sandy. Ms. Suckle is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 2012 she received the AIA NY State President Award and the National AIA Collaborative Achievement Award. She also received the 2009 AIA NY State Fellows Award and serves on the board of the NY Chapter of the AIA.

Kathryn Hurwitz is the Archivist at Trinity Church Wall Street. Before joining Trinity, Kathryn worked in variety of archives and cultural heritage institutions, focusing primarily on religious collections and local history collections. She earned her MA from University College London.

Zach Poole manages complex design projects from concept development through construction. A skillful team leader and communicator, he combines pragmat-ic solutions with high-tech craftsmanship. His project experience includes large-scale campus planning and mixed-use development as well as academic, institutional, resort, retail, and multi-family residential building design. A veteran project manager, Zach’s ability to manage con-tingencies and lead large, multi-faceted consultant teams is reflected in the successful renovation and restoration of Trinity Church Wall Street, a six-year effort with exact-ing technical and cultural requirements. From phased project planning to the execution of customized details, he works with stakeholders to resolve challenges and create vibrant places. Zach earned a Bachelor of Archi-tecture degree from Syracuse University, and serves on the Urban Design Committee of the American Institute of Architects Brooklyn chapter.

 Designers are public intellectuals, turning ideas into realities. For Signe Nielsen that public role is paramount. "The urban arena is the setting where we can create places that are truly restorative to both people and the environment," she says. She has led more than 400 projects, nationally and globally, and these projects have won almost every possible design award. But her sense of design's public mission extends far beyond these interventions. In addition to her hands-on project leadership, she is the co-author of several books on sustainable and green design for the NYC Department of Design and Construction. Signe has taught at Pratt Institute for more than two decades and has also lectured and juried competitions at institutions around the world, including Harvard University and the Ecole Normale Superiure in Paris. As president of the Public Design Commission of the City of New York, Signe is a strong and effective advocate for a beautiful, inspiring and diverse urban fabric. 

Please RSVP before March 4th.

Each October the LMHA celebrates two of the Continental Army’s most decisive Revolutionary War victories, the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. Both General Horatio Gates, the commanding general at the Battle of Saratoga, and Alexander Hamilton, a key aide to General George Washington and the leader the climactic charge against redoubt 10 at the Battle of Yorktown, are buried at Trinity Churchyard. Additionally, the Battle of Yorktown is symbolic of the United States of America’s oldest military alliance. Powerful French land forces, commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau, and an equally important and sizable French &nbsp;eet, commanded by the Comte de Grasse, played a crucial role in the defeat and capitulation of the British army. The 2nd annual Frederic P. Vigneron Award

Etienne De Lancey constructed the three-story building at 54 Pearl Street as a family residence. The house was probably three stories and constructed with brick, tile, and a lead roof. It is unclear if the De Lanceys ever lived in it or used it as a rental property. This building is now the main building of Fraunces Tavern Museum.

Fraunces Tavern Museum's mission is to preserve and interpret the history of the American Revolutionary era through public education. This mission is fulfilled through the interpretation and preservation of the Museum's collections, landmarked buildings and varied public programs that serve the community. You can stand in the room where General George Washington bid farewell to his officers and explore seven additional galleries that focus on America's War for Independence and the preservation of early American history.

Trinity Church Wall Street

IMAGE ALBUMS

1
Elias Neau Grave ALBUM

2
Obelisk at St Pauls Chapel ALBUM

3
Queen Elizabeth II collected rent from Trinity Church ALBUM

Related Sites

Podcasts

Trinity Church Wall Street

IMAGE ALBUMS

1Elias Neau Grave ALBUM

2Obelisk at St Pauls Chapel ALBUM

3Queen Elizabeth II collected rent from Trinity Church ALBUM

Related Sites

Podcasts

1
Elias Neau Grave ALBUM

2
Obelisk at St Pauls Chapel ALBUM

3
Queen Elizabeth II collected rent from Trinity Church ALBUM