Trinity & St. Philip's Cathedral (Newark, New Jersey)


Trinity & St. Philip's Cathedral is a historic church at Broad and Rector Streets in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.

History

The first services for colonists who had settled in Newark were conducted by visiting priests starting in 1729. They organized Trinity Church and built a small stone church building with a steeple in 1743. A charter was granted by King George II in 1746. The building was used as a hospital for both British and American troops during the American Revolutionary War. It sustained damage during the conflict and the present building was planned and built. It was completed in 1810. A chancel and sanctuary were added to the east end in 1857. Trinity Church was elevated to cathedral status in 1944. St. Philip's Church, a predominately African American parish on High and West Market Streets, was destroyed in a fire in 1964. Two years later the two congregations were merged. The Very Rev. Dillard Robinson was elected dean in 1968. He was the first African American to serve as a cathedral dean in the United States. The church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The name "St. Philip's" was added to the cathedral name in 1992.