Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church was constructed in 1897 to the designs of the prominent New York architecture firm Barney and Chapman.  The church and associated parish hall, Saint Christopher House was a gift from Mrs. Serena Rhinelander to the parish.  This magnificent French Gothic structure is composed of roman iron spot brick and highly ornate terra cotta trim.  The terra cotta was produced by the firm of Conklin and Armstrong of Philadelphia and is remarkable for its intricacy of detail and its unique color and finish.  The edges of the pieces were flashed in the kiln resulting in a darkening of the unglazed surface at the edges and arises.  The rest of the surface is a warm ochre enlivened with iron spot flecks.

The openwork balustrade surrounding the brownstone steps had badly deteriorated after a century and a quarter in the harsh climate of New York City.  The parish called on CTA Architects to repair and restore the stairs and balustrade and CTA undertook the repair design.  The units were carefully delineated and evaluated to determine which historic units could be salvaged and which required replication.  In the end approximately sixty percent of the units could be salvaged and were reset using a sympathetic pigmented mortar to match the original.  The units were carefully disassembled and cleaned at the contractor’s shop in preparation for reinstallation. 

The most significant challenge in the project was the matching of the original Conklin and Armstrong terra cotta with its almost accidental surface gradations.  After many sample tests Gladding McBean Terra Cotta was able to provide an excellent match using a stipple of matte glaze and a gradient of a different matte glaze to simulate the over-burned edges.  The resulting assembly works seamlessly to recreate the original appearance of this handsome porch for years to come.

The successful restoration at Holy Trinity is the result of patience on the part of the Parish and skill on the part of the architects, contractor and fabricator.