6. It Served as Refuge for New Yorkers Escaping the September 11 Attacks Three Blocks Away

Trinity Church was bombarded with debris and ash in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks. New Yorkers escaping the chaos outside found shelter within its walls, even as the World Trade Center towers collapsed only three blocks away. During this time, debris from the towers knocked down a hundred-year old sycamore tree that stood outside St. Paul’s Chapel. The tree’s remains were fashioned into a bronze memorial sculpture by artist Steve Tobin that still stands there today.