The San Francisco call., 1908-05-07
MYSTERY OF OLD
TRINITY CHURCH
Only Three Men Know the
Inner Secrets of This
Wealthy Corporation

Reviewing an interesting article pub
iished recently in the Broadway Maga-
zine on the mystery of Trinity church,
that famous landmark in New York
city, the Literary Digest says:
Trinity church, New York, presents
a mystery of almost more than oriental
depth and calm. AS q land holder in
the metropolis it's fortune is estimated
anywhere from $ss.o00,000 to 500. 0.0o0.-
600. 'Ostensibly the property belongs
to the church, and the church Is COM
posed of the communicates thereof.
says Mr.. Charles Edward Russell in the
Broadway Magazine (ApriD, but the
actual facts of the holding and admin
istration of this vast property, second
only to that of the Astors, are carefully
shrouded. The writer who disclaims
the title of muck raker In setting forth
the story. observes:
'Ostensibly the property Is adminis-
tered as a trust by certain officers act
ing in behalf of the communicates. For
SO years no such officer has made OF his
stewardship any accounting to those
for whom he has acted. for SO years
none of the owners of this vast prop
erty, other than the administrators, has
been able, as q body, to learn the SIM
plest fact about il. Nobody, scommuni-
can't or otherwise beyond the few ves-
trymen. knows today actually
or approximately how great Is the In
come thus strangely controlled, nor
how that income Is spent, nor by whom
The bishop and the diocesan conven-
tion. which Is the supreme authority In
local affairs, are as helpless about these
matters as the poorest tenant of Trinity
property. Even so resoiute and active a
shepherd as Bishop Potter would be
foiled Ii he undertook to supervise the
operations of this part of his flock
VALUABLE HOLDINGS
THE history of the Trinity estate is
one of the fairy tales OF the 'unearned
increment Its holdings started with
the two farms bought by an English
governor, one OF Annette Jams Bogardus
and one of her father. old Jams. The
first Trinity church was built in 1896
chartered under it's present name the
following year. and In 1904 endowed by
Queen Anne with the two farms bought
by Governor Lovelace. For a time Trim
ity is said to have given away parcels
of property to various charitable and
public enterprises. to education and re-
ligion, until she has given away her
water front and many other good
things But increasing population Is
seen to increase land values, and Trim
ity ceased giving away property and
began to rent 1t. Mr.. Russell gives this
account OF the Trinity leases:
Trinity owned the lot, she almost
never buift upon It. The lease was for
term Of years. Fl, SO, 49. or some
thing like that. and the lessee, very
commonly, erected his dwelling.
= When the lease expired Trinity
usually declined to renew 1t and thus
for a nominal sum, or for nothing, ac-
quired the tenants building. For the
lease having expired and not being re-
newable, the lessee had no choice but
to remove his building or leave it in
Trinity's possession. Some instances
are recorded wherein the indignant ten
ant tore down his house, and, brick by
brick, threw it upon the rubbish heap
rather than see it pass to Trinity. but
such cases were rare. AS rule. the
building was either given outright to
Trinity or sold for a trifie more than its
value as junk. Naturally the property
thus acquired for little or nothing Trim
ity proceeded to rent at fair to excel
lent prices
GIFT FROM QUEEN ANNE
Queen Anne. 1t Is said, conferred the
two old Dutch farms upon the rector
and inhabitants of the city of New York
In communion of the Protestant church
of England. So the title stood. Mr..
Russell shows, until l77S, when by leg
islation 1t was changed to the rector