Trinity Episcopal Church is a historic church in

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Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

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. It was the first large Gothic Revival church built in Alabama. The building was designed by architects Frank Wills and Henry Dudley.

History

Trinity Episcopal Church was established in 1845, as the second

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 State ...

congregation in Mobile. Christ Church Cathedral was the first. The cornerstone for the building was placed on April 8, 1853. A

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

outbreak swept through the city in that year and the church's register shows that the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

conducted 49 funerals in September 1853. This appears to have delayed construction, but the building was finally completed in 1857. It was located at the corner of St. Anthony and Jackson Streets until it was moved to Dauphin Street in 1945.

Hurricane Frederic Hurricane Frederic was an intense and damaging tropical cyclone that carved a path of destruction from the Lesser Antilles to Quebec, in particular devastating areas of the United States Gulf Coast. Though only five were killed directly, the US ...

damaged the building in 1979. It removed a portion of the roofing, broke windows, and damaged the spire. All of this damage was repaired, with steel reinforcement added to the rebuilt spire. It 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 artist ...

in 1990. It was nominated for

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

designation, but did not obtain this status due to the building having been moved. The church building was renovated in 2010. On Christmas Day 2012 it suffered major damage from an EF2 tornado that took a path through the city. The main sanctuary lost over a third of its roof, the front gable-end wall of the parish hall collapsed, and other structural damage was caused by the storm.

Architecture

Trinity Episcopal Church is Gothic Revival, in a Middle Pointed style inspired by 14th century English architecture. The church is built in brick and is an aisled

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

-and-

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

structure with a monumental bell tower. This church served to inspire the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Huntsville to hire Frank Wills to design a sanctuary for his congregation. The designs for both churches are very similar. and

References

External links

Trinity Episcopal Church - official website
{{NRHP in Mobile, Alabama Churches completed in 1857 Towers completed in 1857 National Register of Historic Places in Mobile, Alabama Churches in Mobile, Alabama Episcopal church buildings in Alabama Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Gothic Revival church buildings in Alabama Towers in Alabama Bell towers in the United States Religious organizations established in 1845 1845 establishments in the United States 19th-century Episcopal church buildings