Another outstanding project in New York (or rather two outstanding projects for the same client) is our work for Trinity Church (Wall Street), well known for its location, long history, and prodigious endowment (it still owns 14 acres, incorporating 5.5M sq. ft. of commercial space of the main financial district of Lower Manhattan).
A LITTLE HISTORY
The first church community on this site received a Royal charter from King William III in 1696 and in 1705, Queen Anne added a donation of 62 acres of land along the wall that separated early Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam from the rest of Manhattan island – hence the name ‘Wall Street’, as this early city map, the Castello plan from 1660, clearly shows.
The church itself is the third church on the site, completed in 1846 to designs by Richard Upjohn and, until 1890, was the tallest building in New York City. The churches on the site have played a major part in the history of the US: Columbia University was founded on the church’s grounds as King’s College in 1754; George Washington and members of his government worshipped there; Alexander Hamilton (brought to most recent fame by the musical) and his wife are among prominent New Yorkers whose bodies are buried in the churchyard.
A church has thus been there for nearly 350 years and in 1976, was registered as a National Historic Landmark. In 2001, during the 9/11 attacks, it narrowly escaped major damage; a 100-year-old sycamore tree in the church yard was knocked over by debris falling from the World Trade Centre. The church, miraculously, was unscathed.
Today, it flourishes as both a church and community centre, with more than 1600 members.