Trinity Church and Graveyard

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. 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.