The establishment of the Church of the Holy Trinity in 1849 predated the official incorporation of San Francisco. The congregation has occupied four church buildings throughout its history, remaining in its current church since its completion in 1894. Architect Arthur Page Brown designed the church using Durham Cathedral in England as inspiration, and components from the congregation’s earlier churches, including the city’s oldest painted glass, are integrated into the building. Unlike many of Brown’s buildings, this church survived the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake thanks to its structural steel frame and construction on bedrock. During the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, the church emerged as a spiritual home for LGBTQ individuals who were not welcome at most churches. In 2012, Church of the Holy Trinity merged with St. Peter’s Church, a historic congregation established in 1867 that founded the first charity in the diocese in order to care for women in need.

The combined Trinity + St. Peter’s congregation identifies as “caretakers of [the church’s] treasures and future possibilities.” Trinity + St. Peter’s collaborates and shares space with many other organizations, including the Freedom In Christ Evangelical Church, a street soccer league, a multi-ethic theater, a dance studio, and a community-based chorus. The congregation is committed to welcoming congregants and neighbors facing housing insecurity to a regular community dinner.

 An $80,000 National Fund grant with another $80,000 in matching funds raised by the congregation is allowing Trinity + St. Peter’s to install bathrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ramps, and emergency exits. Outside of the National Fund, the congregation is completing a seismic retrofit of the building to prevent potential damage from future earthquakes.

Trinity + St. Peter’s Episcopal Church by Alessandra Kameron