Trinity Parish Church is a historic church located in the First Hill neighborhood of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, that was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1991. It is an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

congregation in the Diocese of Olympia.

History

Trinity Parish Church, Seattle's first

church, was established on August 13, 1865. The congregation's first church building, which was located at Third Avenue and Jefferson Street, was not erected until 1870. This wooden building was consumed in the Great Fire of 1889. The church then moved to its present site, at 609 Eighth Avenue, where a replacement building was constructed, opening in 1892. It was designed by Chicago-based architect Henry F. Starbuck in English Gothic Revival style, and its construction was overseen by Charles A. Alexander. In 1902, a fire swept through the interior, leaving only the exterior walls. Seattle architect John Graham, Sr. was hired to rebuild the church as well as increase its size. Despite the additions, Graham maintained the English Gothic Revival style while adding German stained glass windows and an altar of Italian marble. Trinityparishchurch1874

The stained glass windows were designed by the Franz Mayer & Co. of

Munich, Germany Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. The

Carrara marble Carrara marble, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara ...

altar was designed and fabricated in Italy with mother of pearl, ceramic tile and Venetian gold glass. Trinity is a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, known as the Episcopal Church in Western Washington, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in Washington state west of the Cascade Range. The church building was designated a

Seattle Landmark The Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, part of the Department of Neighborhoods of the city of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States, designates city landmarks. According to the department's official website, the following are ...

in 1976 and has also received state landmark status. It was added to the U.S.

in 1991. The building was severely damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, but the altar,

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

and windows all survived fully intact. It was rebuilt, restored and earthquake-retrofitted. This work was completed in late 2005. Architects for this project were

Bassetti Architects Bassetti Architects is an architectural firm based in Seattle, Washington with a second office in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1947, the firm has newly designed or substantially renovated several well-known Seattle landmarks and many schools in th ...

References

External links

Trinity Parish Church
{{National Register of Historic Places in Washington Episcopal churches in Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Seattle Churches in Seattle Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) First Hill, Seattle 1902 establishments in Washington (state) Churches completed in 1902