Trinity Cathedral (Pittsburgh)

Trinity Cathedral
Location 322 Sixth Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°26′29″N 79°59′55″W / 40.4413°N 79.9987°W / 40.4413; -79.9987Coordinates: 40°26′29″N 79°59′55″W / 40.4413°N 79.9987°W / 40.4413; -79.9987
Built 1872
Architect Gordon W. Lloyd
Architectural style(s) Gothic Revival
Governing body Episcopal Church
Designated 1970
Location of Trinity Church in Pittsburgh

Trinity Cathedral is an Episcopal Church in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is the cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.[1] The present Gothic church, the third structure to hold the congregation, was completed in 1872 on the site of a hilltop cemetery.[2] The site, centered on a terrace above the historic "point" (where the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River join to form the Ohio River) was sacred to Native Americans as a burial ground. Early settlers also used this site as a cemetery. The congregation built its second church here in 1824. The Trinity Churchyard has the oldest marked graves west of the Atlantic Seaboard, of both Native American leaders, French, English, and American colonists.

The "Round Church"

The first Trinity Church was built two blocks to the west of this burial ground at the base of the hill or terrace initially. It was constructed from the 1780s to 1805.

1824 Cathedral

In 1824 Trinity moved to its current site in the middle of the terrace churchyard with what is regarded as the first gothic structure in Western Pennsylvania. John Henry Hopkins led the design and construction of the cathedral, which was complete with buttresses, a tower, pointed arches and a vaulted ceiling. The growing congregation built St. Peter as a chapel of ease. However, in 1869 the growing congregation erected a new structure.

1872 Cathedral

In 1872 the new Trinity Cathedral was completed. It was the tallest building in the city until the construction of the Allegheny County Courthouse in 1888.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.episcopalpgh.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Documents/Governing%20Documents%20July%202011.pdf
  2. ↑ http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/wt/html/trinity_cathedral_1870-71.html

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.