In the mid-1760s, NYC had sufficiently grown that the Episcopalian parish of Trinity Church began to expand uptown, and built St. Paul’s Chapel in 1766. When a giant fire broke out in lower Manhattan in 1776, most buildings in the area were destroyed, but a dedicated group of bucket brigaders kept St. Paul’s from burning down. Today, the new #1 WTC provides a 21st Century contrast to one of the few 18th Century buildings remaining in lower Manhattan. Following the events of 9/11/01, it became a focal point of mourning for the victims of the terrorist attack. The church provided a round-the-clock relief ministry to Ground Zero rescue and recovery workers.
Following the September 11th attacks, it was a miracle that St. Paul’s hadn’t suffered any physical damage. Not even one window had been shattered. The building sat directly across the street from the World Trade Center yet survived unscathed. People started referring to it as “the little chapel that could.”
The church gave credit to a giant sycamore for saving it from damage. The tree stood in the corner of the property, taking the brunt of the debris. Only the church’s organ suffered serious damage, but it was quickly refurbished and put back to use. [911groundzero]
I recently took the E train south to its last stop, World Trade Center, formerly called Chambers Street-Hudson Terminal (the PATH train originates from here, now in the new “Oculus” terminal). Hidden behind the MetroCard machines by the exit was this tiled sign pointing to the church. I’ve become something of an aficionado of the tiled IND directional signs found in mezzanines, placed in the 1930s. However, there’s something a bit off about this one.
The spacing and kerning is a bit uneven, and the lettering doesn’t quite match what the IND did with other stations. A specific font was devised that I have never ascertained the name of, but can identify immediately…and, this ain’t that font. It’s a reasonable facsimile, though, but It says to me that it was designed well after the station opened.
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2/24/25