House of worship, North Corktown, since 1893
Trinity Episcopal Church
Photographed standing in 2009
- Opened
- 1893
- Style
- Neo-Gothic
- Standing
- 133 years
Designed by George D. Mason and Mason & Rice
Trinity Episcopal Church has stood on Martin Luther King Blvd. in North Corktown since 1893, 133 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.
More photos of Trinity Episcopal Church
What is there now
Standing, closed
- Closed Source: Historic Detroit
We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 24, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.
The story
In 1893, as Detroit's lumber, stove and shipbuilding money went into brick and stone, Trinity Episcopal Church opened in North Corktown.
George D. Mason and Mason & Rice drew the plans, working in Neo-Gothic.
It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Its doors are closed for now, but the building still stands.
Next time you are nearby, stop at 1519 Martin Luther King Blvd and look up.
Trinity Episcopal Church is located at 1519 Martin Luther King Boulevard in the Woodbridge Historic District of Detroit, Michigan. The church was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is now known as Spirit of Hope.
Timeline
- 1893 Built Designed by George D. Mason and Mason & Rice
- 1979 Protected by the city Trinity Episcopal Church
- 1980 Listed on the National Register May 22, 1980
- 2020 Closed
- 2026 Today Standing, closed
Where it is
1519 Martin Luther King Blvd.
On this map
- 1 Trinity Episcopal Church This place
- 2 Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church 450 ft
- 3 Hunter House 0.3 mi
- 4 Northwood - Hunter House 0.3 mi
- 5 Eighth Precinct Police Station 0.4 mi
- 6 Jefferson Intermediate School 0.4 mi
- 7 Woodbridge Historic District 0.5 mi
- 8 Fort Wayne Hotel 0.5 mi
- 9 Poe School 0.6 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
Architect
George D. MasonAmerican architect, 1856 to 1948. Designed the Lincoln Motor Company Plant (1917) and 39 more in Metro Detroit
Also by George D. Mason
- Ransom Gillis House 1876
- Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church 1883
- Marine City City Hall 1884
- Thompson Home 1884
- Engine House No. 18 1892
- Masonic Temple (old) 1895
Thompson Home, by Mason & Rice. Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Architect
Mason & RiceArchitecture firm. Designed Trinity Episcopal Church (1893) and 11 more in Metro Detroit
Also by Mason & Rice
- Peninsular Stove Co. 1882
- Thompson Home 1884
- Bowles Building 1887
- Gilbert W. Lee House 1888
- Ecumenical Theological Seminary 1891
- Alexander Blain Hospital 1892
More from Detroit in the 1890s
-
![Belle Isle Pavilion, [Pavilion, Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4294-2180-thumb-512916ec9d.jpg)
Belle Isle Pavilion
Building, built 1893, by Spier & Rohns, demolished 1950
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
![Floral Clock at Water Works Park, Floral clock, Water [Works] Park, Detroit, Mich.](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4470-2305-thumb-1a3e4ef4e0.jpg)
Floral Clock at Water Works Park
Monument, built 1893
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
Coronado Apartments
Building, built 1894, Romanesque Revival, by William S. Joy
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Dunbar Memorial Hospital
Monument, built 1892, Romanesque Revival
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Hurlbut Memorial Gate
Monument, built 1894, Beaux Arts
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Detroit Club
Building, built 1891, Richardsonian Romanesque, by Wilson Eyre
Photo: Mikerussell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
It is in North Corktown. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
- Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church House of worship, built 1888, Venetian Gothic, by Hess & Raseman 450 ft
-
Hunter House
Built 1891, Châteauesque, Queen Anne
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.3 mi
- Northwood - Hunter House Built 1891, in Woodbridge Farm 0.3 mi
-
Eighth Precinct Police Station
Building, built 1900, Châteauesque, by Louis Kamper
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.4 mi
-
Jefferson Intermediate School
Historic district, built 1923
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.4 mi
-
Woodbridge Historic District
Building, Second Empire
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.5 mi
- Fort Wayne Hotel Hotel, built 1926, by Weston & Ellington 0.5 mi
- Poe School School, built 1922, by Malcomson, Higginbotham & Palmer 0.6 mi
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- Trinity Episcopal Church (MLK and Trumbull), Detroit MI Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The landmark St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church, on Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, 2008 Photo: Umdet, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Detail of stonework, Trinity Episcopal Church Detroit Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Grand River Ave. in Detroit with the Motor City Casino and Hotel, 2009 Photo: Mikerussell at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.