Trinity Episcopal Church (Wheaton, Illinois)

History

Three families from Wheaton area farms organized the establishment of an Episcopal church in 1875. Bishop William E. McLaren held the first services were performed in the local Universalist church, was on the site now occupied by the DuPage County Historical Museum. After six years of sharing the church, the congregation decided to erect their own. It was constructed in 1881 and has been in continuous use since June 30, 1882. Common to churches built at the time, the church was in the "Prairie Gothic" style. A Kimball pipe organ was installed in 1894 and new light fixtures added in 1926. An extension was added in the 1950s to permit a larger congregation. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. A renovation and expansion project modernized some aspects of the church in 1997.

Architecture

The exterior is covered with beveled siding. The hammerbeam roof was originally covered with wood shingles but these have been replaced with asphalt shingles. A parish hall was built in 1893, which was later incorporated into a 1956 church building. In 1894, a shallow basement was added under the wood frame church for the furnace. The interior features matched and beaded fir boards laid in alternating panels. Most of the original stained glass windows remain, although the Great Window on the east (main) wall was rebuilt in a 1975 rehabilitation. Pews are 13.75 inches (349 mm) wide and are built from individual pine boards. Other furniture, including the altar and pew ends, are oak.