Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City

The Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City is a parish church located at 316 East 88th Street, between First and Second avenues in Manhattan. It is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, derived from the Church of England. The corporation of the Church of the Holy Trinity was formed on April 4, 1864 by Rev. Stephen H. Tyng, Jr., fourth son of Dr. Stephen H. Tyng (1800-1885), rector of St. George's Church in Stuyvesant Square.

The construction of the original temple began in 1864 and the services in the church began on Easter Sunday, 1865. It was located on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue and 42nd Street, designed in a Victorian style by British architect Jacob Wrey Mould (1825-1886), noted for its contributions to the Great Exhibition in London, in 1851, and for the Crystal Palace Exhibition in Manhattan, in 1853. This first temple was used for nine years of service and then demolished.

The second temple was erected on the same site. Its foundation works began in January 1873 and its corner-stone ceremonies took place on June 8, the same year, in the presence of many people, including Bishop Smith, Dr. Tyng, and his son. It was designed by Leopold Eidlitz (1823-1908). He also designed the Romanesque St. George's Church. The style of architecture was mixed. Its interior was decorated in yellow, brown, red and blue. This temple opened for public worship on April 19, 1874 and the tower, with 190 feet to the steeple, was not completed at the time. It was just one block from the Grand Central Depot.

In 1881, Rev. Tyng resigned due to health problems

In 1895, the congregation of the Church of the Holy Trinity merged with St. James' Church, located on Madison Avenue and 71st Street. The second temple, on the corner of 42nd Street, was later sold and demolished.

The site for the third temple of the Church of the Holy Trinity, on the south site of 88th Street, between First and Second avenues, was donated by Serena Rhinelander as a memorial to her father and grandfather. The new temple was built as a chapel of St. James and it was designed by J. Smith Barney in Gothic style. The tower is 150 feet high. The complex includes the St. Christopher's House (the parish house), a cloister, morning chapel, and rectory. The main door is flanked on the left by statues of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah, and on the right by St. Peter, St. James and St. John. In the center of the door has a niche with a figure of Christ. The cornerstone was laid in November 1897 and the church was consecrated on May 6, 1899. In 1951, the Church of the Holy Trinity became an independent parish.