Trinity Episcopal Church is an historic
Episcopal church building at 88 Walker Street in
Lenox, Massachusetts. Built in 1888 for a congregation organized in 1793, it is a prominent local example of Romanesque architecture, funded by
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...
summer congregants. The church was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1996.
History
The first known Episcopalian church services to take place in Lenox were in 1763; it was not until 1793 that a congregation was organized. Its first building, similar to a typical
colonial meeting house
A colonial meeting house was a meeting house used by communities in colonial New England. Built using tax money, the colonial meeting house was the focal point of the community where the town's residents could discuss local issues, conduct rel ...
, was built in 1818, and survives in somewhat altered form as a commercial building on Church Street. The congregation remained small until after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, when wealthy residents of large cities began summering in Lenox. The church was enlarged in 1873, but by 1882 it was again judged too small.
Robert Auchmuty, a congregant who had apprenticed with architect
James Renwick, Jr., headed the committee that oversaw design and construction of the replacement. Auchmuty worked with
Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim (August 24, 1847 – September 14, 1909) was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century. Along with William Rutherford Mead and Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the part ...
of
McKim, Mead & White to develop plans for the church, and supervised its construction.
[ It was built in 1888 in the Gothic Revival style for the use of a congregation composed in part of the wealthy summer visitors to ]The Berkshires
The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...
, who funded its construction. The church was the location of society weddings. For example, on June 6, 1895, James A. Burden Jr., an heir to the Burden Iron Works, wed Florence Adele Sloan, a direct descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
, in this church.[ ]
Notable people
* Robert Shaw Sturgis Whitman, rector
See also
*
References
External links
Trinity Episcopal Church
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Episcopal church buildings in Massachusetts
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
McKim, Mead & White church buildings
Churches in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Lenox, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts