“Neo-Gothic architecture, popular from the close of the 19th century until the mid 20th century, represented a revival of interest in the Gothic structures of England over the polychrome High Victorian Gothic variants favored over the preceding decades. These structures were less ornate and tended toward a monochrome color scheme, often utilizing rough faced stone cladding, arched windows, and prominent towers with castellated parapets. The Trinity Episcopal Church consists of two wings: a cruciform shaped 1892 main wing and an L-shaped parish hall and cloister, both of which were constructed in 1905. The overall plan of the structure forms a U shape, with a courtyard in the middle. The Church is constructed with rock faced limestone quarried in St. Lawrence County, New York and has random coursing on the stone facing, lending a rough visual appearance. The main wing contains pointed arch windows with stone surrounds and hooded lintels, with irregularly spaced window openings, and a group of wall dormers on the north and south elevations. The main wing’s most prominent feature is the three-story bell tower, which is square in configuration and contains a clock and a crenellated granite parapet. The main entryway on the parish house is also surrounded by crenellation.

The Trinity Episcopal Church is listed as a contributing structure within the Village’s National Register of Historic Places-listed Downtown Ossining Historic District. It is architecturally significant as a well-preserved example of the Gothic Revival style and is culturally significant for its association with the Second Episcopal Parish of Ossining.

Trinity Episcopal Church, constructed in 1892 and located at 7 South Highland Avenue, was built as the home for the Second Episcopal Parish of Sing Sing (now Ossining). This parish was established in 1868 by returning Civil War veterans and held its first meetings in the basement of
one of the buildings in the Barlow Block. The parish later held meetings for a time in the original First Presbyterian Church, a structure that was once located on the same site where Trinity Episcopal Church now sits. After the First Presbyterian Church moved to its present location at 34 South Highland Avenue (see entry), the Parish purchased the site and built the current structure on the property. The three story stone tower that dominates the Church’s main façade was constructed in accordance with a mandate from the Episcopal Church stating that all churches must incorporate a large tower into their design as a visual symbol of this denomination. A number of the stained glass windows in the building were obtained from Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company of New York City and from Gorham Manufacturing of Providence, Rhode
Island.

Robert W. Gibson (1851 – 1927), an immigrant from England, was the architect. He built a number of other religious, institutional, and commercial structures in New York State during his career. These include the following:

• Albany Episcopal Cathedral (Albany, NY – 1884)
• St. Michael’s Church (New York, NY – 1891)
• St. Paul’s Cathedral redesign (Buffalo, NY – 1888)
• Greenwich Savings Bank (New York, NY – 1892)
• Bank of Buffalo (Buffalo, NY – 1895)”

(Village of Ossining Significant Sites and Structures Guide, Page 200)

Taken with a Panasonic Lumix GX85 and Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7

On leaving the bookstore I looked towards Route 9/Albany Post Road and the First Baptist Church.

According to “Village of Ossining Significant Sites and Structures Guide, Page 193“:

The First Baptist Church, completed in 1874, is actually the second structure to occupy the site at 1 Church St; the first was constructed in the early 19th Century to house the Sing Sing Baptist Congregation. This congregation was founded in April of 1786 by Captain Elijah Hunter, a Revolutionary War spy who was the founder of the hamlet Hunter’s Landing, an early waterfront settlement located near the current-day train station which grew to later become part of Sing Sing Village. Hunter chose a triangular-shaped site at the center of the Village near the convergence of the Albany Post Road (known today as Highland Avenue or Route 9), Croton Avenue, and Main Street in order to maximize its visibility and emphasize its central importance to Ossining’s religious life. The original First Baptist Church was a place where blacks and whites would worship side by side in a setting that permitted a degree of equality that did not exist elsewhere, a tradition that continued with the construction of the current structure. The original church building was demolished once the size of the congregation grew too large and the present structure was built on the same site. The church was designed by J. Walsh, a Brooklyn-based architect, and was built for a cost of $75,000 in 1874 dollars.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Sigma 18-50mm f2.8

According to “Village of Ossining Significant Sites and Structures Guide, Page 85“:

The Calvary Baptist Church Annex, originally built as the rectory for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, was constructed in 1864 to house the congregation’s minister. When the congregation moved to its current site in the Town of Ossining in 1958, the Annex was purchased by the publishers of the Citizen Register newspaper, who used the building for their offices. In 1973, the newspaper donated the Annex to the Baptist congregation that owns and operates the Calvary Baptist Church today.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Sigma 18-50mm f2.8

According to “Village of Ossining Significant Sites and Structures Guide, Page 35“:

The Calvary Baptist Church, constructed in 1834 and originally named St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, is the oldest surviving religious buildings in the Village. The lot on which the church sits was purchased for $800 from Richard Austin, a Sing Sing-based lawyer who also built the house that shares his name located at 196 Croton Avenue (see Richard Austin entry). The Church was built when Ossining was at its peak as an industrial center in Westchester County and was built to house the growing Episcopal congregation in Ossining, which occupied the site for more than 100 years until moving to a larger site on Ganung Drive in the Town of Ossining in the mid 1950s. In 1958, the building was purchased by the Baptist congregation that occupies the site today. The Church is also one of the few surviving buildings designed by Calvin Pollard (1797-1850) in New York State. Pollard, who is best known for his involvement in the design of Brooklyn Borough Hall in New York City, also served as Benjamin Brandreth’s architect when he designed and built one of the first structures within the Brandreth Pill Factory complex.

…

The Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as architecturally significant for its status as the best preserved early Gothic Revival church in Westchester County. The Church was added to the National Register in 1978. It is also historically significant as the
oldest church in Ossining. The Church Annex, located across the street from the Church, was also inducted to the National Register under the same entry.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Sigma 18-50mm f2.8

According to the history section of the church’s website:

Trinity Church in the City of Boston is recognized for its National Historic Landmark building, considered by members of the American Association of Architects as one of this country’s top 10 buildings. The parish that calls it home was actually founded in 1733, more than 150 years before the current church was built.

TRINITY’S RECTORS
Phillips Brooks, Rector from 1869-1891, is considered the greatest American preacher of the 19th century; his sermons are still read. His Christmas carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” is how most Americans might know him today. Other influential Rectors known for their preaching have included the Rev. Theodore Parker Ferris (1942-1972) and the Rev. Spencer Rice (1982- 1992).

THE BUILDING
The famous Copley Square building is the third home to this parish. The first two were located in what is now the Downtown Crossing area of Boston. After the second church was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1872, Brooks moved the parish to Boston’s new Back Bay neighborhood, a recently land-filled marsh.

The builders of the existing Trinity Church—Phillips Brooks, H. H. Richardson, John La Farge, Robert Treat Paine, Sarah Wyman Whitman and many others—envisioned the new space for worship unlike any other. The stunning result catapulted this new church building into the first rank of American art and architecture.

The needs of the parish have changed over the years. In the late 1990s, under the leadership of its Rector, the Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd, the parish launched another ambitious building project. Much needed common space for programs and ministries—today’s Undercroft—was created by excavating more than 13,000 square feet below the church. The adjoining Parish House was renovated, and Aeolian-Skinner organs repaired. At the same time, innovative, eco-sensitive new technologies were installed for the heating/cooling systems.

MURALS AND STAINED GLASS WINDOWS RESTORATION
Painter John La Farge aimed to create “the feeling that you are walking into a painting” with his murals that cover nearly every inch of Trinity’s church interior. By 2000, the ravages of pollution and natural elements had begun to damage this priceless artwork. Ten stained glass windows were also in need of care. Conservation specialists stabilized and cleaned surfaces in the Central Tower in addition to restoring and preserving priceless murals while stained-glass experts cleaned and releaded ten windows. The rest of the church interior needs similar care.

SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
Thriving outreach ministries have been as much a part of Trinity’s DNA as its architecture, preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. With our baptismal vows, we promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and to strive for justice, peace, and dignity among all people. These ministries have often reflected the needs of the time—job training and child care for recent immigrants, responding to health crises such as tuberculosis and AIDS, feeding the hungry, and helping to house the elderly and homeless.

Trinity has long been a leader in establishing transformational programs for people in the city. Many of these programs continue as independent entities today. Trinity Church Home for the Aged, founded in 1910, is an offshoot of parish ministry. It now serves the community as Sherrill House, a nonprofit skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility. In the 1980s, AIDS Support Committee’s work led to the founding of Trinity Hospice, and a new residence for HIV-positive clients. In partnership with Pine Street Inn, another Trinity ministry known as Yearwood House that was established in 2007 provides independent housing to previously homeless persons.

Perhaps most notably, in the 1990s Trinity established two programs that have continued to grow and support Boston’s youth. Trinity Education for Excellence Program (TEEP) and Trinity Boston Counseling Center (TBCC), became part of the Trinity Boston Foundation (TBF), which was established in 2007 as an affiliated nonprofit organization to grow these programs with additional support from outside the parish

Below: reflection of Trinity Church in a neighboring building.

Taken with a Sony A6000 and 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 OSS