Church Street and Trinity Place
Church Street and Trinity Place together create a continuous one-way northbound thoroughfare in Lower Manhattan, New York City. This route begins at Morris Street in the south, where Trinity Place converges with Greenwich Street, and extends northward to terminate at Canal Street. The transition point between the two street names occurs at Liberty Street.
Description
Starting from Morris Street, Trinity Place diverges from Greenwich Street and proceeds northeast, passing notable sites such as Trinity Church, the Trinity and United States Realty Buildings, and Zuccotti Park. Upon reaching Liberty Street, Trinity Place becomes Church Street, which runs alongside the eastern boundary of the World Trade Center up to Vesey Street. A few blocks south of Canal Street, near Franklin Street, Avenue of the Americas branches off. Together, these three streets—Trinity Place, Church Street, and Avenue of the Americas—form a continuous northbound corridor stretching from Lower Manhattan all the way to Central Park.
The name Church Street originates from Trinity Church, a historic Gothic-style church located on Broadway at Wall Street. The church has been present since at least 1761 and underwent expansion in 1784. Initially, part of Church Street was owned by the church but was transferred to municipal control in 1804. Trinity Place received its name in 1834, previously known as "Lumber Street" and "Lombard Street," both names reflecting its earlier history.
Prior to 1869, Church Street ended at Fulton Street, which lies three blocks north of Trinity Place. Over several years, city planners created an 80-foot-wide connection through the intervening blocks; this included widening Trinity Place to 80 feet and extending it southward to Morris Street. However, north of Fulton Street, Church Street remained narrower at 40 feet. Despite setbacks and allegations of corruption during construction, this project reached completion by late 1872.
In June 1878, the elevated IRT Sixth Avenue Line began operating along Trinity Place and Church Street up to Murray Street before veering west and then north on West Broadway. This elevated line ceased operations in 1938 and was dismantled the following year.
Between 1929 and 1932, coinciding with the construction of the IND Eighth Avenue Line, Church Street underwent widening between Fulton and Franklin Streets. The street expanded from a width of 40 feet—including sidewalks measuring 10 feet—to a total width of 90 feet with sidewalks broadened to 15 feet. This modification affected only the western property line; the eastern side remained unchanged.
Places
The Church Street Station post office located at 90 Church Street serves the area designated by ZIP code 10048 and is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Similarly, the post office at Church Street’s northern terminus—the Canal Street Station—is also listed on the NRHP. Just south of these is the former Long Distance Building of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company at 32 Avenue of the Americas, designated as a New York City designated landmark (NYCL). Other landmarks along Church Street include the Cary Building and St. Peter's Church, both NYCLs listed on the NRHP. Additionally, Church Street runs adjacent to the rear of St. Paul's Chapel, built in 1765, which holds status as a NYC landmark, NRHP site, and U.S. National Historic Landmark (NHL). Among contemporary structures are residential skyscrapers such as those at 30 Park Place and 56 Leonard Street, as well as the former AT&T Long Lines Building situated at 33 Thomas Street.
At Rector Street, Trinity Place passes beneath an elevated private walkway known as the Trinity Place bridge. Designed by LHP Architects and completed in 1989, this bridge originally connected Trinity Church to its offices and preschool housed in the now-demolished Trinity Court Building. A new replacement structure is currently under construction with an anticipated opening in 2020; upon completion, restoration will allow continued use of this bridge.
Just northward stands the historic American Stock Exchange Building, recognized both on the NRHP and as an NHL. Nearby educational institutions include two public high schools: Leadership & Public Service High School and High School of Economics and Finance.
Additional historic properties located along or near Trinity Place and Church Street encompass:
- The Cunard Building on Morris Street, visible from both streets (NYCL)
- The Robert and Anne Dickey House at Edgar Street (NYCL)
- The building at 65 Broadway, situated between Exchange Alley and Rector Street (NYCL)
- The Empire Building located at Rector Street (NRHP, NYCL)
- The former New York Evening Post Building at 20 Vesey Street between Church Street and Broadway (NRHP, NYCL)
- The New York County Lawyers' Association Building at 14 Vesey Street between Church Street and Broadway (NRHP, NYCL)
- The buildings at 23 and 25 Park Place between Church Street and Broadway (NYCL)
- The Kitchen, Montross & Wilcox Store at 85 Leonard Street between Church Street and Broadway (NRHP, NYCL)
Church Street also traverses through both Tribeca South and Tribeca East Historic Districts (NYCL).
Transportation
The IND Eighth Avenue Line () of the New York City Subway operates beneath Church Street, extending northward from Fulton Street to Sixth Avenue. Additionally, a segment of the BMT Broadway Line () runs underneath Church Street and Trinity Place, spanning from Greenwich Street to Fulton Street. The Cortlandt Street station, located near the World Trade Center, sustained damage during the September 11 attacks.
The uptown route of the M55 bus travels along Trinity Place and Church Street between Morris Street and Franklin Street before proceeding north on Sixth Avenue; downtown routes utilize Broadway. Further transit options include the downtown service running northbound from Barclay Street to Murray Street.
See also
References
Notes