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Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park, built between 1908 and 1911, has been formally listed on the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places.

The May 8 listing acknowledges the church’s historic significance, which arises from its Late Gothic Revival architecture, its near-original fixtures and its important stained glass artistry, as a part of the legacy of its young architect and the role the members of the Trinity community have played in the history of Asbury Park, the State of New Jersey, and beyond, according to a news release from the church.

Charles Wilson Brazer, a 1896 graduate of Asbury Park High School and Trinity parishioner, was just 28 when he began the commission to design Trinity. He became a well-regarded architect of his era.

The State and National Registers of Historic Places nomination states “Trinity Church conveys a high degree of historic integrity through location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.”

Now that listing on the New Jersey State Register has been accomplished, the nomination will be forwarded to US Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. Listing on the National Register of Historic Places is expected before the end of the year.

The church was featured in the May 27, 1914 edition of The American Architect, an important periodical in the architectural profession of the time and forerunner of the current-day Architectural Record. The featured project was accompanied by period photographs of the interior and exterior of the church building.

The 100-year-old American Architect article describes the church as constructed of rubble stone with buffed Indiana limestone trimmings. The window tracery and the entirety of the interior is of a manufactured limestone. The vestibules, main aisle and chapel have reinforced concrete floors laid over with tile. Steps and borders are all green purple slate. Pews in the church are oak and the lighting fixtures solid brass, according to the article.

The clergy, vestry and congregation of Trinity are proud that the centennial of the article coincides with Trinity’s listing on the NJ Register of Historic Places.

“This is a wondrous event in our parish’s history,” according to a statement issued by the church’s vestry. “We are truly blessed by the beauty and spiritual joy of our worship space, created by those who have gone before us. Including our outreach programs, well over 1,100 people benefit from Trinity’s presence in Asbury Park each week. Our wonderful facility helps make this possible. Additionally, we thank the New Jersey Historic Trust for its financial support of the National Register nomination and the preparation of a Preservation Plan now underway.”

Trinity Episcopal Church is located at the corners of Asbury and Grand Avenues.

[Photo at top from the Sun archives. Vintage sepia tone photo from The American Architect listing provided by David Van Buskirk.]

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