{"nrhp_refnum":"80004608","name":"Holy Trinity Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Parker and Hector St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Trinidad","county":"Humboldt County","state":"CA","lat":41.05912286100005,"lon":-124.14399249599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-08-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small wood-frame Catholic church at Parker and Hector Streets in Trinidad, Humboldt County, California, overlooking Trinidad Harbor. It was built in January 1873 by Messrs. Purcell and Griffith.","why_significant":"It is the oldest building still standing in Trinidad and is tied to the growth of the Catholic community on California's isolated north coast in the late 19th century. It is a simple carpenter-built vernacular interpretation of Gothic Revival church design, using redwood. The church also served as a community meeting place for the town council and for social events.","narrative":"Overlooking Trinidad Harbor on a south-sloping lot at Parker and Hector Streets, this small wood-frame church was built in January 1873 by Purcell and Griffith. Its first pastor, Father Michael Walrath, organized the project, with land and lumber donated locally and about $1,400 raised from townspeople. The church seats roughly 60 in the nave, with a choir loft, a small bell tower and white lap siding. The name recalls the Spanish landing on Holy Trinity Sunday, 1775. After decades of disrepair it was restored in 1955 and rededicated, though the siding was replaced and the steeple is smaller than the original. It is the oldest standing building in Trinidad. Beyond worship, it hosted town council meetings and community gatherings in the late 1800s, when the north coast was reached mainly by sea. Its simple carpenter-built design, with lancet windows hinting at Gothic Revival, reflects that isolated setting.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Messrs. Purcell & Griffith","architectural_style":"Simple vernacular building that does not fit a definite stylistic category; lancet windows suggest mid-19th century Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored in 1955 and rededicated that year; described as in excellent condition, open to tourists, with regular services held.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.985897-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/80004608.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004608/5ca1d0deea-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004608/5ca1d0deea-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Efraser77","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holy_Trinity_Catholic_Church_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Efraser77</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holy_Trinity_Catholic_Church_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858756","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church_(Trinidad,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5886675"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/humboldt-county/holy-trinity-church-80004608/"}