Trinity Church in Boston

Join us for a private tour of the iconic Trinity Church in Boston's Copley Square on Friday, March 27 at 1pm. Named one of the 10 most important buildings in America by the American Institute of Architects, Trinity Church is a National Historic Landmark. 

We will be meeting for lunch before tour so book your calendar for 11:30.  The cost of the tour is $8.  Please contact Marsha Semuels mhsemuels@gmail.com to register and to pay for your ticket.  

Read about the history of the church below.

Voted the finest building in the United States by members of the architecture profession in 1885, Trinity remained the only building from the original list of ten structures when the American Institute of Architects held a similar competition in 1986. Welcoming more than 70,000 visitors each year, in addition to those coming for worship, the church celebrates its commitment to the city and its citizens through scores of outreach projects and focused activities.

The first two buildings were located on Summer Street in downtown Boston, in the neighborhood that is now called Downtown Crossing. In 1869 when the Reverend Phillips Brooks, a nationally renowned preacher, was installed as the 9th rector, the formerly-residential area had become increasingly commercial. Brooks encouraged church leaders to relocate the parish to Boston’s newest residential area — newly filled Back Bay, formerly a salt marsh. Trinity had already purchased land in the Back Bay when the Great Fire of 1872 swept through downtown Boston destroying virtually everything including the second church. The architect for the new building had been selected as well, Henry Hobson Richardson. The building he designed— Trinity’s current home — was constructed and decorated between 1872 and 1877.  

Brooks heavily influenced the design and decoration of the new building. He sought to create a large, welcoming, and inspiring space for his preaching and Episcopal liturgy. Both the rector and architect envisioned a “color church.” The dramatic and vibrant interior decoration was achieved by painter John La Farge and his team of artists. Succeeding generations of parishioners have enriched and embellished the exterior and interior of the building with sculpture, memorial plaques, stained glass, and needlepoint kneelers, making it an important site for both Christian and artistic pilgrimage. In 1971 the building was designated a National Historic Landmark.