On Saturday February 11, 2006 Trinity Parish Episcopal Church celebrated the restoration of the sanctuary that was almost lost in the Nisqually Earthquake of Ash Wednesday, 2001. Seattle’s Mayor Nickels said: “Trinity Parish was part of Seattle’s history and is a part of the life of Seattle.” During the re-consecration of Trinity Parish, there were several blessings as the tower, baptismal font, lectern, pulpit, organ and both altars were ceremonially anointed by the five bishops in attendance. Representatives from other denominations also took active roles in various litanies and doxologies. Various prayers and blessings then transitioned into the celebration of communion and afterward with toasts, good food, and fellowship in the Parish Hall.

Trinity Parish Episcopal Church stands at 609 Eighth Avenue at the southeast corner of James Street where it sits prominently on the lot. The congregation dates back to July 14, 1855, when the first recorded service was held, and the church was established in 1865. Services were held within a small wood-frame Methodist Church building. In 1870, the congregation constructed a small wooden structure at Third Avenue and James Street. The “unorganized mission” became organized in 1873, and by 1890 the parish established the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. In 1887 the parish built Grace Hospital.

The Third Avenue and James Street church building was destroyed in Seattle’s Great Fire of 1889. The congregation selected a new building site at Eighth Avenue and James Street in 1889 which remains the current location. Chicago Architect Henry Starbuck created the original plans for Trinity Parish Church in 1891. Charles A. Alexander was the superintendent of construction who saw to it that the building opened for worship services on June 5, 1892. The church was designed and built in the English Gothic Revival style; the original plans included a tower. In 1899, a portico was added to the main entry along the east elevation. The sandstone exterior walls were approximately 21 inches thick. On January 19, 1902, Trinity Parish’s interior was destroyed by fire. Only the exterior stonework survived. Architect, John Graham Sr. was retained in 1902 to re-design a larger church. The National Register of Historic Places nomination form describes the architecture as English Gothic Revival style which has been favored by the Episcopal Church for centuries. Trinity is built on a cross-shaped plan. A tower with belfry and spire is located at the southeast corner of the church near the primary entry. An adjacent parish house, built in 1930, is located north of the church, and is connected at the rear by a breezeway. Together the buildings enclose a square garden courtyard along courtyard along Eighth Avenue.

The present configuration of the church represents an expansion in 1902 when the sanctuary was “squared” to accommodate the altar, and the tower was built at the southeast corner. The Celtic crosses on the gable peaks were removed in 1965 and now reside in front of the Krause-Radford Memorial Parking Lot located nearby on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Cherry Street. Trinity Parish Episcopal Church is a designated City of Seattle landmark (see the listing at Seattle Designated Landmarks), listed on the State of Washington Heritage Register, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The majority of Trinity's stained glass windows were designed and manufactured by Franz Mayer of Munich, Inc, Architectural Glass and Mosaics which dates back to 1847 and is still in business today.

The east wall above the baptismal font has large rose and lancet windows that date to 1902. The small windows below them date to 1907. The west wall where the high altar is located also has windows from 1902. Beneath the feet of Jesus are the heads of four cherubic angels. They represent four small boys who drowned in Lake Union and whose likenesses were commemorated "as a memorial" according to Assistant Rector Katherine Sedwick. The west wall windows needed work during the restoration, but were the only windows removed; all others were protected in place.

In the church nave, the windows that parallel the garden and James Street were installed in 1906, 1908, 1911, and in the 1920s. These windows are arched and have tracery (the ornamental rib work at the top of the window to add stability). Various Biblical themes are represented in the images contained in these windows. The stained glass clerestory lancet windows are iconic representations of various Christian saints. The James Street windows were designed by Karl Hackert of Chicago in 1949. The others were designed by Wippell Mowbray of Exeter, England in 1974. The windows in the north transept wing (along the right side of the cross) date to the 1950s, and were designed by the W. P Fuller Stain Glass Studio in Seattle. The south transept wing window is part of the original Franz Mayer collection from 1902-1920. Within the narthex (the walled off porch) of the tower is a painted arched glass window designed by Anton Rez of Whidbey Island, Washington at an unknown date. Trinity's stained glass windows are rich with tradition and craftsmanship and deserve future scholarly research, translations, and documentation.

The St. James Altar is located in the clerestory and was carved from clear old growth timber. Douglas Fir floor joists have held up this church for over one hundred years, but some had to be removed during restoration to make room for a new concrete footing to support the seismic retrofit. Marble inlays on top and below the St. James altar were fabricated from the original base of the baptismal font which had to be removed to safe storage during the church rehabilitation process. Pieces of the marble were saved, re-cut and incised with the same five-cross design visible at the top of the altar which signifies the five wounds of Christ. The mosaic tile inlay echoes the Venetian glass, mother of pearl, and gold leaf tiles in the high altar.

Within the north transept is St. Margaret’s Chapel which dates to 1958 and was moved during the restoration work. The Carrera marble high altar is massive and ornamented with mother of pearl, Venetian glass and gold leaf mosaic tiles. It dates to1891 and was not impacted during the Nisqually earthquake, but was repaired in 1963 after highway construction damage. Ashes of previous church clergy were interred within the altar at that time.

Directly behind the Lectern is the church organ, which was rebuilt and installed in 1897 by Rene Marceau of Marceau and Associates (the original date of this installation remains unknown). The organ was refurbished in 1945 when its 3,119 pipes were installed as originally intended.

Trinity's Earthquake Damage And Modifications During the Nisqually Earthquake on February 28, 2001, Trinity Parish Episcopal Church was severely shaken. Several of the walls separated, the tower sustained major cracks, and the roof almost came down. The whole sanctuary was declared unsafe by City inspectors, and so began the time the congregants referred to as “the exile.”

During this exile time, ninety-eight percent of the 350-member parish pledged $2.6 million for the church's post-earthquake rehabilitation fund. The larger Episcopal world also donated $700,000 with accompanying letters about weddings and other memorable events that took place at the church decades ago. Senator Maria Cantwell's office obtained a $2.2 million FEMA grant for the rehabilitation. In addition to these rehabilitation funding opportunities, $10,000 came to the church from a local Save the Buildings Fund. This amount came from a $250,000 pool that grew out of a partnership with Historic Seattle and the City of Seattle's Office of Economic Development which was conceived to provide cash for endangered properties after the earthquake.

Bassetti Architects was hired by Trinity to design and manage the rehabilitation project with RAFN Company as the construction contractor. The Holloman Group crafted the St. James Altar and the railing around the clerestory. All of the original woodwork, wainscoting, flooring and lighting were photo-documented, noted, removed and stored carefully. The walls had to be stripped down to the stone and brick, and the floors had to be completely removed. The east and west walls had vertical “steel strong backs” installed with rebar steel tied into an incised grid. Then shotcrete was sprayed over the top and steel lath was placed over that as plaster treatments were carefully restored. The completed walls are now four feet thick. The original woodwork was carefully re-installed over the reinforcing treatment. Whenever an original piece could not be salvaged, a cast was made and a reproduction was created. Original material types were used to maintain historical integrity.

In the basement, lateral concrete footings were installed along the side elevations. Only one stairway was maintained intact. An outside doorway was enlarged; lighting was removed, refurnished, and reinstalled as appropriate. Again, the basement walls had vertical “steel strong backs” installed. Handicapped accessibility was accomplished with minimum impact to the building by installing an outside wheelchair ramp. The ramp leads from the garden area to a separate elevator which opens to an expanded doorway in the basement.

The flooring on the basement and first floor was removed and plywood sub-flooring was installed for lateral stabilization. All of the original flooring was reinstalled or reproduced. The mosaic tiles near the high altar had to be especially ordered and re-set. The original colors and patterns were carefully restored.

The platform under the St. James altar was the only feature dramatically changed from the original. Past and present clergy had found the previous altar to be too low and too small. The new altar is larger and the platform that borders the clerestory was elevated from one step to two, creating a three foot change in height. The surface area was expanded toward the nave approximately thirty feet, and brass rails were added along the sides. The original wood aisles were restored in place, and ramps were integrated into the modifications. The overall visual effect is seamless as the designs and material types were consistent with the original interior.

The church roof was removed entirely and steel reinforcements were installed. Plywood was added for stabilization as the new roof was installed. The cracks in the tower were stabilized with the insertion of a steel bar placed in a specially drilled holes. The pre-existing furniture within the sanctuary was documented and carefully stored during renovation. Church volunteers cleaned and restored pieces as needed.

Trinity Parish Episcopal Church is Seattle's oldest church building in continuous use by the original congregation and stands as the best example of an English country parish church within this community. When the church was severely shaken apart during the Nisqually Earthquake, the congregation and the community came together and supported the five year process to restore this sacred space with an attitude of “stubborn faithfulness” as a heroic amount of money was raised. Devoted craftsmen endeavored to restore this beautiful building ever mindful of maintaining the historical integrity. The soul of this spiritual community lies within the stone and plaster of this beautiful old building. When visiting the First Hill Neighborhood, take a few minutes to visit this beautiful building and enjoy its wonderfully restored sacred space.

Sources

Interviews:
Rev. Katherine L. Sedwick, Associate Rector Trinity Parish Episcopal Church Don Brubeck, Bassetti Architects, Seattle

Documents:
Garfield, L. and Gralia, M. National Register of Historic Places Landmark Application form for Trinity Parish Episcopal Church, Olympia, WA, 1991.
King, M, “Faith In Their Foundation,” Seattle Times, December 24, 2005.

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