Farewell to Trinity

The Trinity Episcopal Parish was formed in 1877 as an off-shoot of St. John's Episcopal Parish, in part because St. John's had grown very large. Additionally, the new Trinity parish adhered to precepts of a Catholic movement within the Episcopal/Anglican faith.

For the first six years, Trinity's parishioners worshiped in a former Universalist chapel on Grand Street. Construction of the beautiful granite Trinity Episcopal Church was completed in 1884, with the first service held there on May 18, 1884.

Trinity Episcopal Church in 1884; photo by Adt & Brothers, published in Waterbury and Her Industries

In a centennial history of Trinity Episcopal Church, it was noted that Trinity "can boast of having some of the most influential people in Waterbury's history as her parishioners. She can also claim the allegiance of three Connecticut governors, Templeton, Stearns and Lilley."

The book's preface was written by John J. McMahon, who wrote the following about the interior of Trinity:

As an outsider to the church I was deeply impressed by the interior. It is a building that, regardless of one's religious beliefs, should be seen. The architectural lines and handcrafted fixtures have a charm and majesty of their own not often seen in more modern ecclesiastical buildings. In Trinity one can feast his eyes upon a composition of unusual beauty and strength. Here, one can forget all about the hurried noises of downtown Waterbury. There is only the hushed air of a church that can match any other around in terms of elegance and character. 

By 1976, the first warnings of doom for Trinity were being considered. McMahon wrote that the growth of Waterbury's Roman Catholic immigrant population, "the dominance of some Protestant churches," including Trinity, had begun to wane. With fewer and fewer parishioners, Trinity no longer had a full time priest, and the possibility of a merger had been periodically discussed. Two decades later, the parish closed and the building was sold to the neighboring Catholic church.


Source note: unless otherwise indicated, the source used for this essay is the centennial history of Trinity Episcopal Church written by Aldorigo Joseph Scopino, Jr.


Church Construction

The granite for Trinity Episcopal came from the Plymouth Quarry in Thomaston, located about half a mile north of Reynolds Bridge. The quarry was located on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad line, which was used to ship the granite to its destination. The quarry was in regular use until 1908 (T. Nelson Dale & Herbert E. Gregory, The Granites of Connecticut (USGS Bulletin 484, 1911), pp. 72-73).

The layout of the church was a little unusual, in that the main entrance did not face Prospect Street. During construction planning, the decision was made to place the chancel on the Prospect Street side of the building in adherence with an early Christian tradition of facing the rising sun to the east during worship. As a result, the stained glass windows facing the congregation were filled with sunlight during early morning services.

The architect was Henry Congdon, a New Yorker who specialized in Episcopal church architecture. Other Connecticut examples of his work include St. Thomas' Episcopal Church (now Union Baptist) in Hartford; Trinity Episcopal Church in Lime Rock; Christ Episcopal Church in Ansonia; and Trinity Episcopal Church in Torrington (from Wikipedia list).

Construction began in the spring of 1882. The corner stone was laid on May 21, 1883 and the first service was held on May 18, 1884. The church was consecrated by the Bishop on May 27, 1886.

The interior of the church featured an open timber roof made of oiled yellow pine. The ceiling, wainscotting, and pews were made of ash.

Interior of Trinity Episcopal Church photographed by George Elton Edwards, 1913.
Image courtesy of Arthur W. Cole

Stained Glass Windows

The majority of the windows were made by Cox & Sons of London. They specialized in stained glass windows for churches and homes, publishing a catalogue of designs to promote their work, as well as church furnishings. Examples of their work can be seen online on The Victorian Web, Wikimedia Commons, and various other websites.

The full inventory of windows given in the centennial history of Trinity is as follows:

Above the Altar:

• "Nativity," a memorial to Rufus E. Hitchcock, first senior warden, given by his daughter, Mrs. Agnes D. Northrop; 
• "Annunciation to the Shepherds," a memorial to Mrs. Rufus E. Hitchcock, given by Rufus E. Hitchcock.

To the Left of the Altar (both of these windows were originally over the altar and were moved at an unspecified date):

• "Baptism of Christ," a memorial to Rev. Jacob L. Clark, DD, Rector of St. John's for 40 years, given by the children of St. John's Church;
• "Ascension of Christ," a memorial to Samuel Hall, given by the ladies of Trinity.

To the Right of the Altar:

• "Gethsemane," a memorial to Edward D. Steele, given by his family;
• "Resurrection," a memorial to Nathan Dikeman, first junior warden, given by the masons of Waterbury.

Altar of Trinity Episcopal Church, 1977
Photo taken by S. Cole on the occasion of the Parish's 100th Birthday; photo courtesy of Arthur W. Cole

South Transept on Each Side of the Main Entrance:

• "Faith," a memorial to Thomas Hill Steele, given by his parents, Mr. & Mrs. H. M. Steele;
• "Hope," a thank offering gift of Mr. & Mrs. Joshua K. Smith.

South Wall:

• "Annunciation," a Tiffany stained glass window installed during the early 1900s as a memorial to Charles E., Caroline P., and Richard Lamb, given by William Lamb and Mary Lamb Perry;
• "Christ with Young Girl," installed some time after 1922, In Loving Memory of Morton Tracy 1845-1916, Ida Kilborn Tracy 1850-1907, Rev'd Ellsworth Morton Tracy 1875-1913.

North Transept:

• "I Am the Resurrection and the Life," a memorial to Sarah Scovill Whittlesey and J. M. L. Scovill, given by Mrs. J. M. L. Scovill;
• "Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock," a memorial to Thomas C. Morton, given by Mrs. J. M. L. Scovill;
• "Rose Window," a memorial to Almon Farrell, given by Mrs. Almon Farrell.

Photo courtesy of Arthur W. Cole

Photo courtesy of Arthur W. Cole

North Wall:

• "Adoring Angels," a Tiffany stained glass window installed sometime after 1922 as a memorial to Mrs. Lucy Sabrina Shepardson, given by her family, the Youngs;
• "Madonna with Child" and "Angel with Lute," installed sometime after 1922 and inscribed only "Truly God is good to such as are of a clean heart, Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God";
• "Christ Blessing the Children," a memorial to Mrs. Margaret Merriman Castle, given by Dr. Castle.

According to Rev. Christopher Ford, nine of the stained glass windows were given to St. Patrick Parish in Farmington (which is an interesting twist on history, since Waterbury was started by people from Farmington). Windows without narrative depictions were destroyed during demolition.

One of the windows that was not removed prior to demolition.
Photo taken on October 19, 2018

Parish House

Trinity was growing at the turn of the century, with a Sunday School attendance of over 400. To meet the needs of the increasing activities, a parish house was added on to the west end of the church in 1900. The Parish House addition was designed by Henry Congdon and blended well with the original church, with the exception of the west end of the Parish House, which was made of plain bricks.

View of the Parish House addition, 2018

Sacristy, Trinity Episcopal Church, circa 1977
Published in Scopino, Trinity Episcopal Church: A Centennial Portrait, 1877-1977

Time Capsule

The church's corner stone contained a copper box time capsule. I don't know if it was recovered during the demolition. According to the centennial history, the box contained the following items: various books, including a Bible, Prayer Book & Hymnal; a full set of 1883 U.S. silver nickel and copper coins; several old and foreign coins; a bill and bond of the Confederate States of America (!); a photograph of the architect's sketch of the elevation of the church; and the latest issues of various newspapers.


A Few Historical Highlights

During the rectorship of Rev. Roger Brooke Taney Anderson, starting in 1934, the Trinity parish turned inwards, devoting less energy to civic responsibilities. Anderson apparently had little interest in social activism, instead urging his parishioners to focus on personal perfection.

Despite his promotion of a more monastic lifestyle, Anderson had a colorful background. His great-grandfather, Roger Brooke Taney, was a Maryland slave-owning Catholic and was the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who delivered the majority opinion in the Dred Scott case, which ruled that African Americans could not be citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in U.S. territories.

In 1912, Anderson was on board the Carpathia during the rescue of survivors from the Titanic. Anderson performed the last rite and service for the dead of the Titanic (RMS Carpathia: Out of the Dark of the Dawn). He served as a chaplain and stretcher bearer in France during World War I, then spent the 1920s and early 1930s as a missionary. Health problems forced Anderson to settle into parish work. After two years in New Jersey and Philadelphia, Anderson was assigned to Trinity in 1934, launching two decades of a focus on internal affairs and activities for the parish.

Rev. Anderson was followed by Rev. Frank Newton Howden in 1956. Howden, raised in Philadelphia, had a passion for social action and outreach to "unchurched" inner-city residents. Under his leadership, Trinity joined the Waterbury Area Council of Churches in January of 1959.

Inspired by Reed Smith's promotion of integrated housing projects, and after being invited by Boswell Trowers to hold a service at the Berkeley Heights Project, Howden launched a vacation Bible School for children from the predominantly black North End district in 1961. According to the centennial history of Trinity, this was a highly controversial decision. Parishioners were upset that Howden invited only children from the North End to join the Bible School: "Howden's concentration in one area only infuriated parishoners [sic] which in turn plagued continued performance at the school." Other members, however, were fully in support of Howden's work. Dr. James M. Lee, an influential black dentist and Trinity Vestryman, was the church's main spokesperson for "interracial affairs," but unfortunately he died in 1961 at the age of 52.

Vacation Bible School, 1960s
Published in Scopino, Trinity Episcopal Church: A Centennial Portrait, 1877-1977

While Howden was pushing to welcome blacks from the North End into the church, Trinity also started a new mission in Middlebury. Despite concerns that Trinity would see its membership dwindle if a new parish was started in Middlebury, St. George's Episcopal parish was formed in 1959, with a membership of approximately 150.

Membership at Trinity Episcopal continued to dwindle as parishioners died or moved. Even as they celebrated their 100th anniversary in 1977, they no longer had enough members to justify a full-time priest.


Merger Proposals

The first discussion of a potential merger happened in 1943, when St. John's Church invited Trinity, All Soul's, Christ Chapel, St. Paul's, and All Saints of Wolcott to consider the benefits of some form of merger.

Another merger request came from All Soul's in 1961, which proposed merging All Soul's, Trinity, and St. Paul's of Waterville. The proposal included a plan to relocate the Trinity Episcopal building to the upper end of Cooke Street. Although that proposal was not embraced, it was followed by a study to determine the best future for Trinity. In 1964, Bishop John H. Esquirol suggested merging All Soul's and St. Paul's (in a new building in the Waterbury Shopping Plaza area) and turning Trinity into an inner-city mission.

Bishop Esquirol's suggestion triggered some "mixed feelings over the racial problem." Some church members were concerned that turning Trinity into an inner-city mission would "be taking blacks from other churches... poaching on other congregations." They also said that "many blacks at the Berkeley Heights Housing Project had no religious affiliation and that a 'better sort of negro' should be approached." Howden responded by stating that "any ethnic group [including the English 1500 years ago] without civilization and Christianity were savages" and that Trinity has a responsibility to reach these people.

Yet another merger discussion launched in 1965. Howden proposed three plans, the first of which called for the sale or demolition of the church building on Prospect Street. As before, the merger plans were dropped.


Sale of Trinity Episcopal

By the late 1990s, Trinity's membership had dwindled to only a handful of people. The long-resisted decision to close the parish was finally made.

In 1998, the Trinity Episcopal parish negotiated the sale of the church building to the Corporation of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The transfer was completed on January 25, 1999. The building was renamed the McGivney Hall.

A former parishioner remembers helping to sort through various church items in the weeks prior to the sale being finalized. He says that the Immaculate had already sent in workers to remove one of the stained glass windows, which he saw as a sign of their intentions for the building. He also remembers that at least some of Trinity's members wanted to include a provision in the sale of the building to preserve it as a religious building, but that the Hartford Diocese was not sensitive to their wishes, that it was the land they were interested in.

Chancel Memorial Tablet
Photo courtesy of Arthur W. Cole

Demolition

Demolition in progress, October 19, 2018

The March 18, 2018 Bulletin of the Immaculate Conception included a letter from Rev. Christopher Ford announcing the demolition of the former Trinity Episcopal Church:

After months of deliberation and consultation with the parish Finance Council, Parish Trustees, Supreme Knights of Columbus, Archdiocesan Building Consultant, several contractors, Parish Open Forum, state and local preservationists, I have decided, and have received permission from the Archbishop, to proceed with the demolition of McGivney Hall.

We have been faced recently with the challenge of excessive and expensive repairs that the parish simply cannot afford. Presently, the building needs a new furnace and other major repairs to the heating system and a new roof. The parish owns and maintains seven large buildings, all but two were built well over a hundred years ago and most are in ill repair. The maintenance of such a large number of buildings, most of which are underutilized, is threatening the financial stability of the parish. The focus of our attention and limited resources, I think you would agree, must be the maintenance of our beautiful Basilica and the rectory.

St. Patrick Parish in Farmington is going to utilize nine of the beautiful stained glass windows in the new addition they are planning. The main limestone altar has already been donated to St. Anne Church in Waterbury and all the other sacred architectural appointments will be salvaged and utilized elsewhere.

Part of the responsibility of a Pastor is to be a responsible and wise steward of the parish resources, given the consensus of opinion of those involved. I feel confident that the decision is in the best interest of the parish long term. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Demolition in progress, October 19, 2018

It should be noted that the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation says they were not informed of the demolition plans; I don't know what other "state preservationist" might have been contacted by Ford. Waterbury does not have a "local preservationist." Ford told me that he thought the Mattatuck Museum was in charge of historic preservation in Waterbury and asked their Director, Robert Burns, if it would be okay to demolish Trinity. According to Ford, Burns told him it was okay, leading him to believe that the local preservationist group had approved of the plan. Burns, however, says the opposite, that he told Ford it was a bad idea. Either way, the Mattatuck Museum has no authority to prevent or approve of historic building demolitions.

The huge public controversy sparked by the demolition could have been avoided if Waterbury actually had a historic preservation commission and a demolition delay ordinance.



Historic Preservation

The Immaculate Conception parish has just about completed demolition of the former Trinity Episcopal Church. For many people, this was a very upsetting, even traumatic, situation. Architecture has power, and buildings often become symbolic. The built environment defines our concept of a location; it embodies and shapes our ideas about a place. As one member of the public stated, our buildings are our identity.

For other people, however, old buildings are nuisances, impediments to progress, or financial burdens weighing them down. The conflict between these two views of old buildings (treasures vs. nuisances) has been going on for decades, which is why demolition delay ordinances and historic building commissions have been created in other towns, setting up a system of checks and balances to ensure that the best decisions are made.

For more on the value of historic preservation, and information on how a building owner or a developer can benefit from old buildings, visit the website of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.