The first two buildings were located on Summer Street in downtown Boston, in the neighborhood that is now called Downtown Crossing. In 1869 when the Reverend Phillips Brooks, a nationally renowned preacher, was installed as the 9th rector, the formerly-residential area had become increasingly commercial. Brooks encouraged church leaders to relocate the parish to Boston’s newest residential area — newly filled Back Bay, formerly a salt marsh. Trinity had already purchased land in the Back Bay when the Great Fire of 1872 swept through downtown Boston destroying virtually everything including the second church. The architect for the new building had been selected as well, Henry Hobson Richardson. The building he designed— Trinity’s current home — was constructed and decorated between 1872 and 1877.  

Brooks heavily influenced the design and decoration of the new building. He sought to create a large, welcoming, and inspiring space for his preaching and Episcopal liturgy. Both the rector and architect envisioned a “color church.” The dramatic and vibrant interior decoration was achieved by painter John La Farge and his team of artists. Succeeding generations of parishioners have enriched and embellished the exterior and interior of the building with sculpture, memorial plaques, stained glass, and needlepoint kneelers, making it an important site for both Christian and artistic pilgrimage. In 1971 the building was designated a National Historic Landmark.