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  • 1696

    • A small group of Anglicans living in Manhattan petitions Governor Benjamin Fletcher for approval to purchase land for a new church. Approval is granted and the petitioners purchase land for the new church from the Lutheran Congregation in Manhattan.

  • 1697

    • Trinity receives its charter from King William III of England.

  • 1698

    • The first service is held in the new church. Timeline: 1698

  • 1705

    • Queen Anne of England grants Trinity Church a large parcel of land on the west side of Manhattan, stretching from present-day Fulton Street to Christopher Street. The land, once known as the as the Queen's Farm, becomes the Church Farm. View / Download PDF Timeline: 1705 Timeline: 1705

  • 1709

    • Trinity founds the Charity school, now known as the Trinity School. It is the oldest educational institution in continuous operation in New York City. View / Download PDF Timeline: 1709 Timeline: 1709

  • 1750

    • A major fire began in the Charity School and damaged the Church and steeple. The Church was repaired and the Charity School was soon rebuilt.

  • 1754

    • Trinity grants land now bounded by Church Street, Barclay Street, West Street, and Murray for King's College (now Columbia University)

  • 1774

    • The leadership of Trinity Church sides with the British during the Revolutionary War.

  • 1776

    • September 21, 1776, Lower Manhattan catches fire as the British retake New York City from the Continental Army. Trinity Church and the Charity School are destroyed but St. Paul's Chapel and King's College are saved by bucket brigades. Timeline: 1776

  • 1784

    • The New York State Legislature appoints patriots as Trustee vestrymen and alters the charter of Trinity Church so that it better conforms to the new State Constitution. The patriot priest Samuel Provoost is called as rector. View / Download PDF Timeline: 1784 Timeline: 1784 Timeline: 1784

  • 1785

    • Prominent Federalists are members of Trinity's congregation. Alexander Hamilton is a pew holder. John Jay and Rufus King are vestrymen.

  • 1787

    • Dr. Provoost is consecrated as the first Bishop of the newly formed Diocese of New York.

  • 1789

    • Following his inauguration at Federal Hall, George Washington attends thanksgiving service, presided over by Bishop Provoost, at St. Paul's Chapel, a chapel of the Parish of Trinity Church. He continues to attend services there until the second Trinity Church was finished in 1790. St. Paul's Chapel is the oldest public building in continuous use in New York City. Timeline: 1789

  • 1790

    • The second Trinity Church structure, begun in 1788, is consecrated. Timeline: 1790

  • 1795

    • Petitions begin to pour in to Trinity Church from congregations in the City and around the state asking for aid. Trinity responds generously with money and land, eager to grow the young Episcopal Church. View / Download PDF Timeline: 1795

  • 1839

    • Weakened by heavy snows in the winter of 1838/39, the second church structure is torn down.

  • 1842

    • Trinity Church Cemetery is established on 23 acres in the area of 155th Street and Riverside Drive. This land abutted the estate of naturalist John James Audubon. In 1843, the first burial in the cemetery is recorded. View / Download PDF Timeline: 1842

  • 1846

    • On Ascension Day, the third, and current, church building is consecrated. Designed by American Institute of Architects co-founder Richard Upjohn, it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This church building is one of the first and finest examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in the United States. Timeline: 1846

  • 1866

    • St. Chrysostom's Chapel is founded as a mission chapel with free pews. It is the first free chapel established by the parish. Timeline: 1866

  • 1879

    • Trinity establishes a Mission House to oversee its growing list of social programs, including: a girls' vocational school, a home for aging women, cooking and nutrition classes for immigrant women, a workingman's club, and a relief bureau to counsel the sick and the jobless. A new Mission House is built in 1888 and enlarged in 1896. Timeline: 1879

  • 1891

    • Construction on Broadway outside St. Paul's Chapel Timeline: 1891

  • 1910

    • The Rt. Rev. William Thomas Manning, rector, joins with other Episcopal leader in calling for a world conference on faith and order. The conference is held in 1927 and foreshadows the formation of the World Council of Churches. Timeline: 1910 Timeline: 1910

  • 1919

    • Trinity abolishes the practice of charging for pews.

  • 1922

    • Trinity pioneers church radio broadcasting with a Christmas Eve radio transmission.

  • 1924

    • Dr. Channing Lefebvre began noontime organ recitals. Timeline: 1924

  • 1929

    • Trinity provided generously to the Diocesan City Mission Society. Through its various chapels, it provided counseling, housing, food and clothing to the needy. Timeline: 1929

  • 1929

    • Trinity's Real Estate Department takes over the operation of commercial buildings located on its own land. Back taxes and mortgages, on which the original owners had defaulted, are paid by Trinity.

  • 1941

    • Eighty men and four women from the Mission House serve in the armed forces.

  • 1942

    • Beginning on January 1, 1942 (designated by President Roosevelt as a national day of prayer), special New Year's Day services are held at Trinity and its chapels during the course of the war. The first of these services attracted over 1,000 people. On V-E day and the day following, Trinity conducts hourly thanksgiving services. View / Download PDF Timeline: 1942 Timeline: 1942

  • 1945

    • Trinity purchases 470 acres of land with buildings on the Housatonic River in West Cornwall, Connecticut. Originally established as a multi-purpose camp and meeting facility, the Center now hosts conferences, retreats and summer programs. Timeline: 1945 Timeline: 1945

  • 1954

    • In the 1950s Trinity News publishes its first issue. Timeline: 1954

  • 1959

    • In the 1950s Trinity establishes an outreach program for young people living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Timeline: 1959

  • 1967

    • Trinity Institute a continuing-education program dedicated to theological renewal for clergy and laity in the Episcopal Church, is founded.

  • 1968

    • Dr. Larry King broadened the noonday organ concerts to showcase different forms of music in 1968. This series provides the Wall Street community with the finest professional vocal and instrumental performances.

  • 1971

    • Trinity's philanthropy is formalized as the Grants Board is approved as a standing committee of the Vestry of Trinity Church. Through the Grants Program, significant financial support is given to a wide variety of programs domestically and throughout the world.

  • 1976

    • Queen Elizabeth II presented with symbolic "back rent" of 279 peppercorns on her historic visit to Trinity Church.

  • 1982

    • Trinity establishes St. Paul's Shelter in the balcony of historic St. Paul's Chapel. The Shelter offers transitional housing and life-skills training for up to fourteen male residents per night.

    • St. Margaret's House, a 250-unit residence for low-income, elderly and disabled men and women, is dedicated. Support services include a social worker, 24-hour security, various programs, and a congregate dining room that serves lunch and dinner.

  • 1982

    • Trinity Preschool is opened at 68 Trinity Place. Currently, the Preschool and Nursery serve 75 students, providing year-round professional childcare to children between the ages of six months and five years.

  • 1985

    • Trinity establishes a state-of-the-art video studio and editing room to extend its communications outreach. Many programs produced by Trinity Television have won prestigious awards, including several New York Emmys, several Gabriel Awards, Religious Public Relations Council honors, and the CINE Golden Eagle for Faithful Defiance: A Portrait of Desmond Tutu. Timeline: 1985

  • 1987

    • Trinity's sixteenth Rector, The Reverend Daniel Paul Matthews, D.D., is installed.

  • 1988

    • John Heuss House is founded. This outreach ministry of Trinity Church, located at 42 Beaver Street, is a 24-hour center for the homeless who suffer from chronic mental illness. Meals, showers, clothing, and other support services are provided on a daily basis.

  • 1996

    • On Ascension Day (May 16) 1996, the Parish of Trinity Church launches a year-long celebration of its 300th Anniversary. Throughout its tercentennial, Trinity focuses on, and rededicates itself to, its rich tradition of worship, leadership, and community service. Timeline: 1996

  • 2001

    • On September 11, 2001, employees and parishioners of Trinity and St. Paul's fled the downtown area after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Trinity relocated its offices while the area was cleaned and decontaminated. As early as September 16, Trinity reinstated services in a temporary location at the Roman Catholic shrine to Elizabeth Ann Seton in Lower Manhattan.

  • 2004

    • Trinity's seventeenth rector, the Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, is installed.

  • 2006

    • British businessman and philanthropist Martin "Dill" Faulkes honors Trinity Wall Street with a gift of twelve change-ringing bells, the only set in the United States. The bells are cast at the Taylor Foundry in the U.K. and Trinity Church's bell tower is restored and redesigned to accommodate the bells. Timeline: 2006

  • 2007

    • Trinity Wall Street affirms its commitment to its Marshall & Ogletree Opus virtual organ. The Opus 1, designed specifically for Trinity Church, was purchased to replace Trinity Church's previous organ, which was badly damaged by dust and debris on 9/11. Timeline: 2007

  • 2007

    • In hopes of creating a stronger community bond and providing a more flexible space for worship, St. Paul's Chapel replaces its forty-year old pews with movable chairs. Two pews remain in the Unwavering Spirit: Hope & Healing at Ground Zero exhibit and two were donated to the World Trade Center memorial.
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