Trinity Episcopal Church
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Why it's listed
Trinity Episcopal Church sits at the southwest corner of High and Court Streets in Portsmouth, Virginia, the city's main crossroads. The current stuccoed building went up between 1828 and 1830 on the site of a brick church from about 1762, the first Established Church in the area. Its builders reused materials salvaged from old Fort Nelson after the original fabric proved too decayed to save. The church has changed often: an annex and tower in 1893, a parish house in 1954, and a remodeling in 1961 that uncovered the original Flemish-bond walls beneath the floor. Its history includes a gap in services from 1809 to 1821, use as a Civil War hospital, and a memorial window to Portsmouth's Confederate dead that was removed under Navy pressure in 1868 and restored in 1954. The churchyard, once the town's only burial ground, holds stones dating to 1763.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the church as a simple but elegant building at the city's main crossroads that symbolizes Portsmouth's long ties to the past. It replaced the first Established Church in the area and has a long record of parish history, including use as a Civil War hospital and the story of a Confederate memorial window. Its churchyard was the town's only burial ground for years and holds stones dating from 1763.
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 73002219, listed May 14, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | High and Court Sts., Portsmouth (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Portsmouth |
| Listed | May 14, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002219 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1828-1830 |
| Architect / builder | Later work by W. P. Wentworth of Boston (1893 enlargement), Cassell & Cassell of Baltimore (1887 chapel), Bradford Tazewell of Williams and Tazewell (1961 remodeling); original architect not stated |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied, in good condition, altered; in religious use. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Within district | Downtown Portsmouth Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.83482, -76.30118 (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 73002219.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16901990
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.