Our Building
“There are several classical ‘hall marks’ which stamp a truly Christian congregation. The first is the care and maintenance of the buildings. The building houses God’s Altar and is the Temple of the Most High. Certainly Trinity scores ‘full marks’ in this classification. The church, parish house, meditation garden, and grounds bespeak a loving care to an extraordinary degree.”
This statement was made by our former Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Wilburn D. Campbell, in the book “Trinity Episcopal Church,” by James R. Haworth. The land now occupied by Trinity Church was donated in 1882 through A. A. Low, a New York associate of Collis P. Huntington, then president of the C & 0 Railroad. Mr. Low's family also raised a substantial part of the money needed to build the church. When the congregation felt it could assume responsibility for the balance, the church was built and occupied in 1884. For many years after that the vestry minutes reflect the struggle the congregation had as it eventually liquidated the debt on the church building. Dealing with debt was a concern of many Trinity vestries over the years as the church building was expanded, a parish house was built, the parking lot acquired and other improvements added. 
The present parish house was built in 1924 on the site formerly occupied by the rectory. It cost over $100,000, which must have been a daunting sum at the time.
The chairperson of the Building Committee was John W. Ensign, son of Ely Ensign, who had been chairperson of the Building Committee for the church back in 1883. |
The parish house has over 30 rooms, virtually all of which have been renovated as have the heating, air conditioning and kitchen facilities of the parish house. The parish house has more than adequate space for the present needs of the congregation and substantial space for expansion purposes. A major expansion of the church nave and the parish house was undertaken in 1962 and the renovated buildings were ready to be used on Easter Day 1963.
The simple, charming Bethlehem Chapel—used for small weddings, funerals, and other occasions—is located on the ground floor of the parish house. The Chapel was beautifully renovated in 1987, and again in 2003 following a small fire.
The Church itself is cruciform in shape and has been described as "English Chapel" in design, exterior being finished in brick with stone trim. The buttresses, which support the high-pitched slate roof, lend a Gothic air to the interior. A cloister connects the parish house and church with Willet stained-glass windows depicting the seven sacraments. With a single exception, all of the windows in the church itself are either Willet or Tiffany stained-glass windows. The organ, which was installed several years ago, is estimated to have a replacement cost of $250,000. Five hundred persons can be seated comfortably in the church. The church is carpeted and has a sound system with wireless microphones
A stone altar is set in the east wall, which permits small outdoor services on appropriate occasions. The columbarium was added in 1989 and expanded in 2003.
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