Episcopal parish closed its “home” but continues caring for the elderly.
Gen. William Sherman had completed his 285-mile March to the Sea—from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.
Gen. Robert E. Lee had just been appointed general-in-chief of all Confederate forces.
A great president with only a few weeks of life remaining said, “With malice toward none; with charity for all . . .”
In New York City, an elderly woman, unnoticed by history, became the first beneficiary of a charitable enterprise later to be known as Trinity Chapel Home.
The year was 1865. To minister to the expanding population of New York, the great Trinity Church, at the head of Wall Street, had earlier begun establishing chapel parishes in the developing areas to the north. One such chapel was on 24th Street. There, in a few rooms set aside in a private home, Trinity Chapel members Phoebe Gedney Mott and Hiram Nazro, with the Rev. William Vibbert, vicar of Trinity, began providing for needy elderly women of the parish. When more space was needed, the good people of Trinity bought a house at 221 West 24th Street.
The purpose of Trinity Chapel Home was not set down formally until the articles of incorporation were drawn up in 1902:
“The objectives of this Corporation are to maintain and care for poor and aged churchwomen, communicants of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the boroughs of Manhattan or the Bronx, City of New York, who have no relatives or friends to support them, the preference being given first to communicants of Trinity Chapel, and next to communicants of Trinity Parish, or of other parishes in the Borough of Manhattan or the Borough of the Bronx.”
The 1902 bylaws of Trinity Chapel Home required that entrants pay a $250 admission fee, but if the money could not be found “the Board may make such terms as it deems proper.” Residents were asked to pay $4 a week for board if they could afford to do so.
In those early days, Trinity Chapel Home’s endowment was small. In fact, throughout its life, the home depended heavily on gifts from members of the Trinity congregation and their friends.
By 1912 Trinity Chapel Home had outgrown its quarters on 24th Street. A larger house was bought in a rural area, on Bussing Avenue in the Bronx, near Woodlawn. It offered land, trees, and a garden. The 15 ladies who resided in the home enjoyed a pleasant outlook from piazzas on two sides. The board secretary recorded: “During the summer months the truck garden provides the table with fresh vegetables, and with an ample supply of flowers which adds to the cheerfulness of the home.”
Elizabeth Nazro (sister of Hiram, one of the home’s founders) was one of the most active members of the board of directors. Elizabeth was treasurer and a member of the executive committee for many years. She looked after the home’s invested funds carefully and effectively. Upon the death of Elizabeth Nazro, the minutes of the board related: “The Board of Directors of Trinity Chapel Home has lost one of its most faithful and devoted members. She was perhaps a more frequent visitor to the home than any other member of the board. She knew personally all the residents and they turned to her frequently in their difficulties.”
In memory of Elizabeth Nazro, the chapel of the home was beautified with a new altar and reredos, an ornamental partition behind the altar.
Virginia Scott Hoyt, another dedicated member of the board in the 1920s, contributed generously to Trinity Chapel Home, as did Mrs. C.C. Jackson, Emily Arnold, and Mrs. William Pollock. Mary Penniman bequeathed $20,000.
After Rev. William Vibbert’s death, the Rev. J. Wilson Sutton became vicar of Trinity Chapel and board president of the home. The vicar worked hard in the cause of the home for the rest of his life. The 1933 annual report records:
“Six new beds have been provided, and a new hot water stove has been placed in the basement, which with the installation of new pipes has made possible a plentiful supply of water at all hours of the day. New table linen, new bed linen and new dining room silver have been added.”
Another person who stands out in records and recollections of Trinity Chapel Home in its later years is Janet Tate. Janet, a nurse hampered by disabilities, found her niche as superintendent of Trinity Chapel Home.
In the words of a contemporary, Janet Tate “did a perfectly incredible job… She was a charming person with a delightful sense of humor. She truly loved all the residents.”
During World War II, Janet frequently visited a Red Cross center and brought back sewing and knitting projects for the residents. With the assistance of Constance Skillin, a devoted member of the board for many years, Janet promoted a social life for the women. Each resident’s birthday was celebrated with a party.
As time passed, the wooden building on Bussing Avenue became run down. In 1947, it was sold, and Trinity Chapel Home moved to a house at 7 East 67th Street in Manhattan. This property was acquired for a modest price from Albert Gallatin, a former member of Trinity Chapel.
The cost of maintaining the home grew. Generous patrons died. Changes in the law raised fire protection problems. It became more difficult to keep people on the staff.
Sadly, but unavoidably, the board decided to take no more new residents. In June 1959, the remaining women were moved to suitable homes, and Trinity Chapel Home became a memory.
The home’s board of directors arranged, through the New York State Supreme Court, to liquidate the home’s assets and designate them the Trinity Chapel Home Fund. Its purpose is to make grants for the benefit and care of older adults. The New York Community Trust was named to administer the fund with the aid of an advisory committee from the former board of the home.
Thus, after more than a century, older adults continue to benefit from the vision and solicitude shown through five generations by the members of Trinity Chapel. Their concern is expected to continue for generations through the Trinity Chapel Home Fund.