Trinity Church, Boston
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- For other churches with this name, please see Trinity Church (disambiguation)
The current Church building was erected after its former site burned in the Great Boston Fire of 1872, under the direction of Rector Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), one of the best-known and most charismatic preachers of his time.
The building was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and designed and built from 1872 to 1877, when it was consecrated. Trinity Church is the building that established Richardson's reputation. It is the birthplace of the "Richardson Romanesque" style, characterized by a clay roof, polychromy, rough stone, heavy arches, and a massive tower. This style was soon adopted for a number of public buildings across the United States, and is the first American architectural style imitated in Europe and Canada.
Trinity is an extraordinarily beautiful church, often considered one of the finest pieces of architecture in the United States. It is the only church in the United States, and the only building in Boston, that has been honored as one of the 10 most significant buildings in the United States by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In 1885 it was voted the most important building in America by architects, and over a century later the AIA still lists the Church among the top 10 American buildings, making it the only building to remain on the original list.
The building's plan is a modified Greek Cross with four arms extending outwards from the central towner, which stands 64 m (211 ft) tall. The Church is situated at Copley Square next to the John Hancock Tower. Having been built in Boston's Back Bay, which was originally a mud flat, Trinity rests on some 4500 wooden piles, each driven through 30 feet of gravel fill, silt, and clay, and constantly wetted by a pump so they do not rot if exposed to air.
Its interior murals, which cover over 21,500 square feet (about 2000 square meters) were completed entirely by American artists. Richardson and Brooks decided that a richly colored interior was essential and turned to John La Farge (1835-1910) for help. La Farge had never performed a commission on this scale, but realized its importance and asked only for his costs to be covered. The results established La Farge's reputation.
The Church's windows were originally clear glass at consecration in 1877, with one exception, but soon major windows were added. Four windows were designed by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by William Morris. Another four windows were exceptional commissions by John La Farge, and revolutionized window glass with their layering of opalescent glass.
Additional sculpture includes works by Daniel Chester French and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
Noted artists represented in Trinity Church
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