Chapel of the Intercession Complex and Trinity Cemetery
.jpg){kind=link}
Why it's listed
At 550 West 155th Street in Manhattan, a Gothic Revival chapel, cloister, parish house and vicarage sit within the hilly grounds of Trinity Church Cemetery. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue designed the chapel, built between 1911 and 1914, using English country church models. Its interior includes a gilded and polychromed hammerbeam ceiling, loose chairs instead of pews, and a marble altar set with more than 1,500 stones from religious and historical sites. Goodhue's own tomb, with an effigy by Lee Lawrie, is in the north transept wall. The cemetery, about 23 acres, dates from 1842 and was shaped by Calvert Vaux, who designed its boundary walls, serpentine drives and walks, and a Victorian Gothic gate house completed in 1883. Burials include John James Audubon, Clement Clarke Moore and members of the Astor family. In September 1776 the ground also held the main defenses of Washington's army until Fort Washington fell in November.
Significance in brief: The chapel is a notable example of Late Gothic Revival religious architecture based on English precedents, and a major work of Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. The surrounding cemetery was designed by landscape architect Calvert Vaux, holds the graves of many notable New Yorkers, and has distinctive monuments. It is also the site of Revolutionary War defenses built in September 1776.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80002677, listed July 24, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 550 W. 155th St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | July 24, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002677 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Trinity Church Cemetery 1842, 1871-83; Chapel 1911-14 |
| Architect / builder | Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (chapel); Calvert Vaux (cemetery) |
| Architectural style | Late English Gothic Revival |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and unaltered; the chapel complex and cemetery are occupied and in religious and cemetery use. A modern marble funeral chapel and mausoleum building was recently added in the cemetery's Western Division. |
| Acreage | 23 |
| Coordinates | 40.83220, -73.94664 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80002677.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q47205806
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.