The first parish and one of the oldest churches in the City of New York, Trinity Church dates back to before the American Revolutionary War. In 1697, Trinity received its charter and land grant from the English King William III; the annual rent set by the Crown was "one peppercorne." Through the ensuing 300 years, Trinity decreased its landholdings, donating or selling nearly 96%. Nevertheless, the Parish remains one of the largest commercial realtors in the city. It has also played an important role in New York City’s history. It was at St. Paul’s Chapel, for instance, a chapel of the Parish of Trinity Church, that George Washington attended a service and worshipped after his inauguration as the first President of the United States.

When the present Trinity Church was consecrated on Ascension Day in 1846, its soaring Neo-Gothic spire, surmounted by a gilded cross, dominated the lower Manhattan skyline, serving for many decades as a welcoming beacon for ships sailing into New York Harbor. A registered national landmark, though skyscrapers have risen all around it, this majestic sacred building still commands a special place in the life of downtown New York.

The Church is also not the only Real Estate Trinity owns. Trinity Real Estate, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Trinity Church happens to be one of New York's largest landlords. The relationship between Trinity Church and New York Real Estate dates to the early 18th century, when Queen Anne of England ceded a large tract of land in lower Manhattan to the parish. As the owner, leasing agent and manager of approximately six million square feet in 23 buildings in the Hudson Square area, Trinity has played, and will continue to play, a leading role in developing downtown Manhattan.