Only eight years after the first Episcopal Church service was held in Pocatello in 1889, Trinity’s congregation was able to construct its second church building. The old church was moved to the back of the lot to make space for the new church. The church still stands today. It was completed in 1897 at a cost of $3,912. 00. An additional $1000.00 was spent on the furnishings. The architectural plans cost $120.00. The church, designed with gables of wood and walls of rough ashler (squared masonry building stones) was built by Mooney & Johnson.
After paying off the construction and furnishing debts, the church building was consecrated or “declared sacred for the Worship of God” by the Bishop of Utah and Nevada, the Right Reverend Abeil Leonard on Easter Sunday 1899.
The first church building - which was the second church building in Pocatello - was originally located on what is now the corner of Main and West Lander Streets. The second building – the one you see today, is of gothic design, in the style of an inverted ark. The walls are of yellow sandstone, quarried on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and red sandstone trim, quarried at Ross Fork. The 92 foot steeple tower made the building the tallest structure in Pocatello in 1897.
The building is arranged symbolically. As in literature and visual arts, the meanings are open to interpretation, but these are the generally accepted explanations of the layout:
Nave (Militant) is where the pews are located. This symbolizes life on earth.
Chancel or Choir (Expectant) houses the lectern and the pulpit, representing the time between life and death. Communion Rail represents the division between life and physical death. When we receive communion we kneel, reach over the rail, and come away carrying Christ in our hearts.
Sanctuary or Altar (Triumphant) is the highest and most important area of the building. The altar symbolizes the presence of Christ in the building.
The most notable features of this church building are the stained glass windows. They are rich in both Victorian style and religious symbolism. With the exception of the large window above the entry doors, which was designed locally and installed in 1976, the windows were produced in Ireland and installed around 1900. It is said that the money for these windows was raised by the Sunday school children.
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