Trinity Profile - 2026

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS

Beginnings of Trinity Church In 1830, with changes in population of the growing community in the area, the parish built Trinity Chapel at the corner of Fifth and King Streets, and in 1847, the present parish structure of two congregations worshiping in two churches began. The Chapel congregation eventually purchased the land at North Adams Street, where the cornerstone was laid on May 1, 1890. The new church was blessed, its rst service held on January 29, 1891, and Trinity Church was formally consecrated on May 15, 1906. Building of Trinity Church The Trinity Church complex consists of four major buildings extending for a block along Adams Street between Delaware Avenue and Eleventh Street on the western fringes of downtown Wilmington. Interstate 95, the major highway between New York and Washington, passes just west of the complex, and access ramps are located immediately adjacent to the church property. Built in 1890 and located in the heart of Wilmington, Trinity Church was designed in the English Gothic tradition by architect Theophilus P. Chandler, Jr., constructed of rough-dressed Avondale stone as is the low ornamental wall surrounding the Church. It is a traditional English Gothic structure. The soaring, peaked roof – almost 90 feet high – is supported by carved hammer beams and wooden arches, giving the appearance of a mini-cathedral. The short-cantilevered timbers, which support the wooden arches, are hand-carved angels. Completed in 1925, the tower and spire contain a memorial set of 12 bells cast of purest bell-metal bronze by the Meneely Bell Foundry of Watervliet, New York. Restored in 1974, the chimes can be played from the organ or a

separate console, electrically connected with the bells in the tower. The Austin organ, opus #1619, was erected in 1928 and renovated in 1975 with more than 700 new pipes, a new console, an entire re-actioning, and numerous innovations. The stained-glass window in the sanctuary and the ve windows in the north and south transepts were made in the Ti any Studios in New York and date from 1890 to 1900. The Ti any windows depict scenes from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. In 1955, the Chapel of the Trans guration, designed by parishioners Victorine and Samuel Homsey, was added to the back side of the church, adding 60 seats to the church's overall capacity. The neighborhood immediately adjacent to the church contains a mix of new high-rise o ce and apartment buildings and turn-of-the-century city row houses, many of which have been restored or renovated. Notwithstanding this evidence of prosperity, pockets of poverty exist within a stone's throw of the church. Trinity’s Gateway Campaign in 2009 provided funds for installing air conditioning in the church, as well as an access ramp from handicap parking at the north end of the lot. This ramp leads to a walk along the side of the church to the two entrance doors and also to the Parish Hall second oor. The fund also supported improvements in the acoustics of the church.