For the last 17 years Trinity Presbyterian Church has been holding its worship services at School of the Holy Child, while combing the region in search of a home of its own.
For the last 17 years Trinity Presbyterian Church has been holding its worship services at School of the Holy Child, while combing the region in search of a home of its own. The search has led to a decision to build a permanent home on a 6.5-acre site on Anderson Hill Road in Purchase. The Trinity Church office is currently located at 15 Elm Place in Rye.
The plan presented December 17 at the Town of Harrison Planning Board meeting calls for adapting the 6,800 square-foot 1927 Tudor manor home on the site and constructing a 19,200 square-foot addition where church services and religious instruction will be held. Designed by Molinelli Architects of Briarcliff Manor, the new section of the church will connect to the rear of the existing residence and will emulate its Tudor style. The residence will be used for administrative offices, meeting rooms, a kitchen, and communal space.
The sanctuary has been designed with arching art glass windows along its side walls, and a rose window above the altar. Sanctuary seating will be moveable to allow the space to be used for a variety of church activities.
Less than 5 percent of the site will be occupied by the building, thereby allowing for large setbacks from neighboring properties and an extensive landscaped buffer. The site plan calls for 130 parking spaces with access to and from Anderson Hill Road.
According to Rev. Craig Chapman, Senior Associate Pastor, an average of around 200 parishioners, including families with small children, attend the 90-minute Sunday services. During the week the property will house the Church’s administrative offices and be lightly used for youth and fellowship programs.
“Since Trinity Church first came to the Harrison-Rye area over 15 years ago, we have been meeting in rented space while looking to establish a permanent home. We’ve explored a myriad of options and locations in the Sound Shore area but none have proven suitable. We finally concluded that building our own church is the best option,” said Chapman.
The roots of Trinity Church trace to Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan. As the congregation of the “mother church” there grew, the decision was made to open a second church in the Sound Shore area. Trinity Presbyterian began in Rye with six couples from Westchester who were parishioners at Redeemer.
With the continued growth of the Harrison-based church, a new Trinity Presbyterian congregation was similarly started this past summer in Hastings-on-Hudson. The current attendance of Trinity Rivertowns Church is around 70 people, which draws from the Rivertowns area, including some parishioners who had been attending services with the Harrison congregation.
“In developing the plans for the new church property, we have sought a design that will comfortably fit in the neighborhood and we think we have accomplished that,” added Chapman.
For more information about Trinity Presbyterian, visit www.trinitychurch.cc.
