Description of Historic Place

Built in Second Empire style, the Parish Hall is a two storey hip roofed building with attached tower. Constructed between 1898 and 1905, the structure is located in Trinity, NL. The designation is limited to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Parish Hall is designated because of its aesthetic, cultural and environmental value.

The Parish Hall has aesthetic value as is it one of the best preserved examples of a rural parish hall utilizing unique design elements. Influenced by the Second Empire style, the building’s most remarkable feature is the tower on the front facade. It stands two full storeys and is topped by a decorative cupola. The hipped roof and symmetrical lines on the exterior facade give a sense of orderliness to the structure.

The Parish Hall has cultural value because of the social function it has served in the community from the time of its construction. Maintained by St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the building has been used by church organizations and as a community centre by groups hosting dances, movie screenings, variety concerts and meetings. Up to the present it is still used by church groups and for general meetings by various clubs.

The Parish Hall has environmental value when considered in the greater context of surrounding structures. The Parish Hall and neighbouring government building and hotel all date from the late 1800s and form what could be considered a town square. Similar physical groupings of buildings are rare in rural Newfoundland and serve as physical reminders of settlement patterns in prosperous places such as Trinity.
Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property designation file M-038-007, Trinity - The Parish Hall

Character-Defining Elements

All those architectural features that speak to the age and vernacular design of the building as a parish meeting place, including:
-hip roof;
-number of storeys;
-narrow clapboard;
-corner boards;
-window size, style, trim and placement;
-size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors;
-location of tower on front facade;
-rounded trim on main doorway and associated arch;
-cupola on tower;
-arch vents and dentils on cupola;
-mock exposed beam detailing on exterior;
-signage reading “The Parish Hall” on the tower; and,
-dimension, location and orientation of building.