New York City's tallest building upon completion in 1846, Trinity Church features a 280ft-high bell tower and a richly colored stained-glass window over the altar. Famous residents of its serene cemetery include Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, while its excellent music series includes Concerts at One (1pm Thursdays) and magnificent choir concerts, including an annual December rendition of Handel’s Messiah .
The original Anglican parish church was founded by King William III in 1697 and once presided over several constituent chapels, including St Paul’s Chapel at the corner of Fulton St and Broadway. Its huge landholdings in Lower Manhattan made it the country’s wealthiest and most influential church throughout the 18th century. Burnt down in 1776, its second incarnation was demolished in 1839. The third and current church, designed by English architect Richard Upjohn, helped launch the picturesque neo-Gothic movement in America.
