Code,127009
Speaker,Martha and Wayne Bifano Trinity Cathedral
Date,Date of Interview 08/03/2011
Interviewer,Name of Interviewer Ken Valore
Abstract,"Trinity Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio and is located in downtown Cleveland.This is an interview about the history of the church in Cleveland from the beginning of its' first structure in 1829 to the present structure consecrated in 1907. The Bifanos give some background to the history of the area and how it relates to the growth of Trinity.  Throughout the course of the interview there is discussion related to the previous buildings but the focus is on the present Trinity Cathedral with its' Gothic design. There is also discussion related to the detail of the inside architecture and symbolic meaning related to some of the work and design. There are other discussions related to the congregation and changes to it over the years. Toward the end of the interview, focus is more on the services provided and recent structural changes to make what is now Trinity Commons."
Tags,"Cleveland Churches, Episcopal Church"
Special Notes,"notes about high points, audio quality, etc..."
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0,Introduction by Ken Valore
1,Introductions made by interviewees Martha Bifano and Wayne Bifano. They state the history of Trinity Temple goes back to 1816 when a group men met in the home of Phineas Shepard.
2,The Parish did grow. The first structure was built in 1829 and later burned down. The second structure was created downtown right off of what is now Public Square.
3,By the 1850s Trinity realized it was starting to outgrow the space it had. Trinity was approached to become the Episcopal Diocese and be home of the Diocese of Ohio. At that point an architect was engaged to build what is now Trinity Cathedral.
4,"The first church was at St. Clair and Seneca and the second church located at Superior and 6th Street. The original founders, including Phineas Shepard were from the East."
5,Wayne Bifano speaks about the history of the Western Reserve and how it ties into the history of the Church.
6,continued
7,Wayne Bifano talks about the search party headed by Moses Cleveland. The land west of the Cuyahoga River was most desireable but because of Iroqouis settlements most threatening. Land east of the Cuyahoga was less desirable because of terrain and Malaria.
8,What was detrimental regarding terrain in thee beginning became an assest because of water and how it was important to the industrial revolution. They speak about how the alter of the church traditionally faces east toward Jerusalem and the rising sun.
9,The way Trinity Cathedral is situated on the land is because of the topography. Many of the benefactors for the Church were millionaires that lived on Millionaires' Row so they wanted the entrance to come off of Euclid Avenue. You walk several flights of stairs into a Gothic Church and before you enter the double doors you feel like you have entered a medieval church according to Martha.
10,When you walk into the structure you are struck by the size and magnitude. The choice of a Gothic structure is intentional as your eyes are drawn up toward the top of the building or Heaven. As you walk into the church there is a very large cross. You see a vaulted ceiling and it looks like an inverted ship.
11,There are a number of explanations for this such as the ark is how mankind survived or the church is the vessel that saved the world. Explanation of cruciform of architecture. There is a bell in the bell tower but they are called to worship by chimes.
12,"As you are facing the alter to the right or west is a small chapel very traditional in Roman or Episcopal Church. Many of the artifacts or pieces in the chapel come from the second building many reference as ""Old Trinity"" which was on Superior and East  6th Street."
13,In the Episcopal tradition artifiacts are brought along to the next place to keep the tradition. You can tell if something is a Gothic Structure because everything comes to a point.
14,The reason for choosing a Gothic structure is because you could have greater height and building could support very large windows. When building was dedicated in 1907 pews were fixed in place but just a few years ago they were taken out you could change configuration and utilization.
15,The stain glass windows tell life of Christ and biblical stories.
16,Description of the Baptistry and how some of the items come from old Trinity. There are stones from the Jordan River given by the Mather family. A little more description of the stain glass in church is given by the interviewees.
17,In trancept to the left is crucifixtion of Jesus. The large window is resurrection of Jesus with small supporting windows. Over the main alter is the tatum window which means we praise you Lord and has history of the church.
,The high alter or original alter at Trinity Cathedral weighs 8 1/2 tons and is made of Italian marble. It was set in place and intricate carving and design work was done by artist and artisans mostly immigrants.
19,Stone masons and carvers and different aritsans doing additonal carvings such as creating wood carvings. Many people contributed because of the philanthropy of donors.The architect of the Church is well known Cleveland architect Charles Schweinfurth. He was a friend of Samuel and Flora Stone Mather family.
20,Martha stated she believes Schweinfurth was chosen partly because of his connection with Samuel Mather. Schwenfurth created some of the mansions on Millionaire's Row. He also did a reconstruction of the Old Stone Church after a fire. This was the church of Flora Stone Mather.
21,It was felt that a Gothic Structure was important because of the connection with the Anglican Communion Episcopal Church and is the U.S. arm of of the Anglican Church. Bishop Leonard felt by having a Gothic Structure that the connection would be very obvious. Plans and designs were altered somewhat and so they have a Gothic structure. Many critics believe that this was Schweinfurth's finest structure.Schweinfurth designed other structures as well such as Hayden Hall and Harkness Chapel.
22,Bridges over Martin Luther King Boulevard were designed by him.  Wayne speaks about the back wall in the chruch having 59 characters. Some are part of the wall and some are removable. Twenty-one of these are identifiable and also illustrate some of the early church fathers.
23,The well known figures range from little known Saints such as Phoebe and Bertha to well known Saints like Luke and Matthew. It also contains some of the early church fathers like Ignatius of Antioch. King Arthur is also there and Wayne comments he does not know why. The central figure is a welcoming Christ with arms open wide and on the right of Christ is the Virgin Mary and on the left is St. John done in Indiana Limestone.
24,Italian immigrants carved one aspect of the high alter. In the traditional orthodox church they have a relic and their church has a peice of marble from the Solomon Quarry.
25,In the choir area is English oak. They were told it is the most difficult wood to carve. This wood was caved by artisans in which would now be present day Austria or Hungary. Theodor Kundtz had a company and did residential and commerical work for Thomas H. White
26,White was very pleased with the work of Kundtz and suggested they go into business together. Together they created a a company that made cabinets for the White Sewing Machines.
27,Interviewees were asked about changes in the congregation. The congreation has evolved and changed. In 1907 it represented the wealthy to upper middle class and drew from the immediate area like Millionaire's Row. In the 1960s and 1970s they had challenges with people moving out.
28,The structure went through challenges in the 1960s and 1970s. Today the church is very vibrant and active with more than 900 members.
29,People are looking to come to to a church the size of Trinity Cathedral because of the number of activities and events. The draw people as far east as Astabula City and as far west as Sandusky. They also draw people as far south as Medina.
30,When the interviewees started coming there were a lot of homeless people and the neighborhood has changed as it is surrounded by Cleveland State University. They are an urban church and very involved in the community for civic and service purposes. They have a strong arts and music program and have an energy for drawing people.
31,There are two Episcopal Dioceses in Ohio. Trinity Cathedral is home of the Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio. There are approximately 108 parishes within Ohio. so they serve as the chruch for the Diocese but are also their own parish serving a dual role.
32,They serve as the church for the Diocese but are also their own parish serving a dual role. They partner in many different ways such as a partnership with Marion Sterling Elementary tutoring and with a national program called Blessings in a Backpack.
33,Continuation about the program Blessings in a Backpack. They have a community garden on Cedar and 30th Street growing food for a program called Place at a Table.
34,Continuation about the program Place at a Table. The church is also a place for civic and political dialogue. They have hosted police and representatives of various gangs for open dialogue.
35,There is a very active music program. October through May on Wednesdays there is a free concert series called Brown Bag Concerts and it can be anything from Blue Grass to Jazz.
36,"There is space for organizations. There are many kinds of things to be involved in at Trinity Temple such as book club, men's club and Knitting Pearls."
37,The Knitting Pearls make scarves and blankets to give to the homeless. Discussion of the Commons.
38,The head of the Cathedral is Dean Tracey Lind. She came with a background in city and urban planning.A study was completed and identified a need for a new kitchen and women's restrooms.
39,During the planning study a person asked to be recognized and said there is nothing in the plan about going green. They went back to rethink the plan and drew up what is now Trinity Commons.
40,Before church areas were not connected and City Architecture designed Trinity Commons in 2002. It was made as green as they could then and all structures are connected.
41,"Continued discussion about Trinity Commons and green initiatives. They did things like use non toxic paint, carpet and used natural light. They reduced, reused and recycled. They were told by someone involved in green structures that had they applied they would have gotten a silver medal.  The commons goes back to the Middle Ages as a place for meeting and sharing."
42,It continues to be a place of equal opportunity. They are involved in some direct programming with CSU. Students come to service and they host a welcoming evening for new students.The person on staff is the Chaplin at CSU.
43,This same staff person is also connected to Trinity Temple.
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