Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Interior Tour

Holy Trinity opened in December 1903 with 1,500 worshippers present at its first service.  The English Gothic building was designed by local architects Lansing & Beirel, who also designed the Connecticut Street Armory, Lafayette Presbyterian Church and Holy Family RC Church in Buffalo.  The congregation dates back to 1878, when a group of German immigrants wished to conduct services in English rather than their native tongue, which was not permitted by St. John’s, the main German Lutheran congregation at the time. 

Visitors will learn about the church’s Tiffany-style opalescent windows by Calvert & Kimberly and the Gothic Revival stained glass windows by Willet & Company. In addition to the church, visitors will have the opportunity to see the Mansperger Chapel completed in 1959 with its very detailed stained glass windows depicting marriage and prayer. Holy Trinity is considered the “mother church” to seven other Lutheran congregations that were subsequently established in Buffalo.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is located at 1080 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14209. The tour meets inside the doors to the right of the bell tower, by the parking lot facing Main Street. If you are on Main Street facing the church, the bell tower and doors where the tour meets are on the left side of the church building. Weather permitting, the tour will begin outside with the exterior of the church. Parking is available in the church’s lot, located next to the building off of Main Street. This tour is approximately one hour in length.

Tour Procedures & Policies: 

• Reservations are required for all tours, including for Explorer Pass members. Walk-ups without reservations cannot be accommodated. Tours are generally limited to a maximum of 18 people per group. 
  • Reservations close two hours before the tour’s scheduled start time (for example, reservations close at 8am for a 10am tour). 
  • To redeem an orange Explore Buffalo walking tour pass, please email explore@explorebuffalo.org at least 24 hours in advance to reserve your tour. 
  • The Explore Buffalo docent for your tour will have a list of tour reservations for their tour; you do not need to print or bring any tour confirmation. 
• Accessibility: This tour typically includes a few stairs but can be done without stairs to be fully accessible. Please contact us at explore@explorebuffalo.org or (716) 245-3032 if you plan to attend this tour and will require accommodations or if you have questions about accessibility. 
• Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. In the event of weather that requires a tour cancellation, we will contact registered tour guests in advance of the tour. 
• See our FAQs page for our refund policy and answers to other questions.
• By confirming your reservation for any Explore Buffalo tour, you acknowledge and accept Explore Buffalo’s tour policies.