Trinity Episcopal Church (Mobile, Alabama)
Encyclopedia
Trinity Episcopal Church is a historic church in Mobile
, Alabama
, United States
. It was the first large Gothic Revival
church built in Alabama. The design was by architects Frank Wills
and Henry Dudley
.
congregation in Mobile. Christ Church Cathedral
was the first. The cornerstone for the building was placed on April 8, 1853. A yellow fever
outbreak swept through the city in that year and the church's register shows that the rector
conducted 49 funerals in September 1853. This appears to have delayed construction, but the building was finally completed in 1857. It was located at the corner of St. Anthony and Jackson Streets until it was moved to Dauphin Street in 1945.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1990. It was nominated for National Historic Landmark
designation, but did not obtain this status due to the building having been moved.
style inspired by 14th century English
architecture. The church is built in brick and is an aisled nave
-and-chancel
structure with a monumental bell tower. This church served to inspire the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity
in Huntsville
to hire Frank Wills to design a sanctuary for his congregation. The designs for both churches are very similar.
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was the first large Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church built in Alabama. The design was by architects Frank Wills
Frank Wills (architect)
Frank Wills was a British-born architect who is associated with the design of early Gothic Revival churches in North America.-Biography:Frank Wills was born in Exeter, Devon England in 1822, where he started working under John Hayward, he was a member of the Exeter Architectural Society, and his...
and Henry Dudley
Henry Dudley
Henry C. Dudley , known also as Henry Dudley, was an English-born North American architect, known for his Gothic Revival churches...
.
History
Trinity Episcopal Church was established in 1845, as the second EpiscopalEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
congregation in Mobile. Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral (Mobile, Alabama)
Christ Church Cathedral, also known simply as Christ Church, is a historic Episcopal cathedral located in Mobile, Alabama, USA.-History:...
was the first. The cornerstone for the building was placed on April 8, 1853. A yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
outbreak swept through the city in that year and the church's register shows that the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
conducted 49 funerals in September 1853. This appears to have delayed construction, but the building was finally completed in 1857. It was located at the corner of St. Anthony and Jackson Streets until it was moved to Dauphin Street in 1945.
It was 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 1990. It was nominated for National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
designation, but did not obtain this status due to the building having been moved.
Architecture
Trinity Episcopal Church is Gothic Revival, in a Middle PointedEnglish Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
style inspired by 14th century English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
architecture. The church is built in brick and is an aisled nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
-and-chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
structure with a monumental bell tower. This church served to inspire the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity
Episcopal Church of the Nativity (Huntsville, Alabama)
Episcopal Church of the Nativity is a church in Huntsville, Alabama. It was built in the Gothic Revival style in 1859. It is noted as one of the most pristine examples of Ecclesiological Gothic architecture in the South. It is also one of the least-altered structures by architect Frank Wills and...
in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
to hire Frank Wills to design a sanctuary for his congregation. The designs for both churches are very similar.