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Trinity Episcopal Church (Detroit, Michigan)
Encyclopedia
Trinity Episcopal Church is located at 1519 Martin Luther King Boulevard in the Woodbridge Historic District
of Detroit, Michigan
. The church was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980. It is now known as Spirit of Hope.
James E. Scripps
, owner of the Detroit News, was a member of the Trinity congregation. Scripps was born in London, and developed a fascination with historic English churches. He commissioned sketches of churches in England, and in 1893 put up $55,000 to build the current church building.
In 1896, Trinity members voted to unite their church with the Episcopal diocese of Michigan. In 1926, the parish house, which includes a chapel, dining room, gymnasium, offices and classrooms was constructed. As the neighborhood around Trinity changed, the church reached out to new constituents, including the Irish community. However, the declining population of the surrounding area led to a decline in the congregation.
In 2001, the nearby Jeffries Housing Projects were torn down; the Faith Memorial Lutheran Church, founded in 1956 to serve the community, found itself with a drastically reduced congregation. The congregations of Faith Memorial Lutheran and Trinity Episcopal began exploring the concept of merging, and in April 2006, the two joined to become the Spirit of Hope.
commissioned the architects Mason & Rice to design this English Gothic style church. The floorplan of Trinity Episcopal Church is laid out in a cruciform
pattern. The walls are two feet thick Trenton limestone, and the root is sheathed with copper. Smooth brown limestone used as trim offsets the white limestone used for the bulk of the walls. The 85 feet (25.9 m) central, supported by stone arches and buttresses, tower contains ten bells. The exterior holds over two hundred carvings, including gargoyles that serve as water drains. Inside the sanctuary, ten stone angels supporting the nave beams face inward; several windows contain stained glass, including a Tiffany
, a LaFarge
, and a window over the altar was created by Franz Mayer & Co.
of Germany. A 1200-pipe organ manufactured by the Jardine Company of New York City is also inside.
Woodbridge Historic District
The Woodbridge Neighborhood Historic District is a historic neighborhood of primarily Victorian homes located in Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, with later boundary increases in 1997 and 2008....
of Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The church was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980. It is now known as Spirit of Hope.
History
The Epiphany Reformed Episcopal parish was founded in 1878 as a place where Anglicans not pledged to the Episcopal bishop of Michigan might worship. In 1880, the congregation built a small frame church, and in 1889 changed their name to Trinity Episcopal.James E. Scripps
James E. Scripps
James Edmund Scripps was an American newspaper publisher and philanthropist.Scripps was born in 1835 in London to James Mogg Scripps and Ellen Mary Scripps. His father was a bookbinder who came to America in 1844 with six motherless children. Scripps grew up on a Rushville, Illinois, farm...
, owner of the Detroit News, was a member of the Trinity congregation. Scripps was born in London, and developed a fascination with historic English churches. He commissioned sketches of churches in England, and in 1893 put up $55,000 to build the current church building.
In 1896, Trinity members voted to unite their church with the Episcopal diocese of Michigan. In 1926, the parish house, which includes a chapel, dining room, gymnasium, offices and classrooms was constructed. As the neighborhood around Trinity changed, the church reached out to new constituents, including the Irish community. However, the declining population of the surrounding area led to a decline in the congregation.
In 2001, the nearby Jeffries Housing Projects were torn down; the Faith Memorial Lutheran Church, founded in 1956 to serve the community, found itself with a drastically reduced congregation. The congregations of Faith Memorial Lutheran and Trinity Episcopal began exploring the concept of merging, and in April 2006, the two joined to become the Spirit of Hope.
Architecture
James E. ScrippsJames E. Scripps
James Edmund Scripps was an American newspaper publisher and philanthropist.Scripps was born in 1835 in London to James Mogg Scripps and Ellen Mary Scripps. His father was a bookbinder who came to America in 1844 with six motherless children. Scripps grew up on a Rushville, Illinois, farm...
commissioned the architects Mason & Rice to design this English Gothic style church. The floorplan of Trinity Episcopal Church is laid out in a cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
pattern. The walls are two feet thick Trenton limestone, and the root is sheathed with copper. Smooth brown limestone used as trim offsets the white limestone used for the bulk of the walls. The 85 feet (25.9 m) central, supported by stone arches and buttresses, tower contains ten bells. The exterior holds over two hundred carvings, including gargoyles that serve as water drains. Inside the sanctuary, ten stone angels supporting the nave beams face inward; several windows contain stained glass, including a Tiffany
Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1933 at the Tiffany Studios, by Louis Comfort Tiffany....
, a LaFarge
John LaFarge
John La Farge was an American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer.-Biography:...
, and a window over the altar was created by Franz Mayer & Co.
Franz Mayer & Co.
Franz Mayer & Co. is a famous German stained glass design and manufacturing company, based in Munich, Germany, that has been active throughout most of the world for over 150 years...
of Germany. A 1200-pipe organ manufactured by the Jardine Company of New York City is also inside.