{{short description|Small townhouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}} {{Use American English|date=September 2025}} thumb|134 Elfreth's Alley, Philadelphia A '''Trinity house''', also known as a band-box house or a Father, Son & Holy Ghost house, is a small townhouse, principally found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schade |first=Rachel Simmons |url=https://www.phila.gov/documents/philadelphia-rowhouse-manual-a-practical-guide-for-homeowners/ |title=Philadelphia Rowhouse Manual: A Practical Guide for Homeowners |publisher=Philadelphia City Planning Commission |year=2019 |pages=6 |language=}}</ref> Trinity houses are characterized by small size, with three or four floors vertically stacked, each usually consisting of one principal room, many of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. They are joined by small, winding stairways, and have few or no interior doors. The "Trinity" name is derived from three floors, three rooms. Kitchens are usually in the basement, with very low headroom. Houses are typically smaller than {{convert|1000|sqft|m2}}, and about {{convert|14|ft|m}} wide. The selection of furnishings for such houses is strictly limited by the difficulty of moving furniture between floors.<ref name="khederlan1">{{cite web |last1=Khederlan |first1=Robert |title=The history of Philadelphia's trinity houses |url=https://archive.curbed.com/2017/3/16/14945986/tiny-house-philadelphia-trinity-for-sale |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020144411/https://archive.curbed.com/2017/3/16/14945986/tiny-house-philadelphia-trinity-for-sale |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |website=Curbed |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=1 March 2021 |date=December 14, 2017}}</ref><ref name="carrion1">{{cite web |last1=Carrion |first1=Angelly |title=What It's Like to Live in a Trinity, According to Philly Mag Readers |url=https://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/08/06/philadelphia-trinity-house/ |website=Philadelphia |date=6 August 2015 |access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="mccabe1">{{cite news |last1=McCabe |first1=Caitlin |title=Uniquely Philadelphian, trinity homes offer residents charm, history and a lot of headaches |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/business/real_estate/residential/philadelphia-real-estate-trinity-rowhouses-tiny-houses-20171222.html |access-date=1 March 2021 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=December 21, 2017}}</ref>
Trinity houses were typically located on alleys behind main streets, to be found in Philadelphia's deep blocks. A notable concentration of trinity houses is on Elfreth's Alley, a National Historic Landmark district. Due to their size and the inconvenience of their arrangements and their survival in affluent neighborhoods, trinity houses are often far more affordable than other houses in the same neighborhood. The houses have enjoyed a revival in interest as a by-product of the tiny-house movement.<ref name="khederlan1"/><ref name="mccabe1"/>
== History == {{See also|Letitia Street House|William Penn}}The production of Trinity houses is often cited as coming from the 17th Century from architect, William Penn when he laid out the city's urban plan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Sandy |date=2024-06-04 |title=A Guide to Philly’s Trinities: The Original Tiny Houses |url=https://www.phillymag.com/property/trinity-house-philadelphia/ |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Philadelphia Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Khederian |first=Robert |date=2017-03-16 |title=3 historic Philadelphia townhouses you should buy |url=https://archive.curbed.com/2017/3/16/14945986/tiny-house-philadelphia-trinity-for-sale |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020144411/https://archive.curbed.com/2017/3/16/14945986/tiny-house-philadelphia-trinity-for-sale |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Curbed |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-02 |title=Trinity Style Homes in Philadelphia |url=https://www.phillylivingmanagement.com/trinity-style-homes-in-philadelphia |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=www.phillylivingmanagement.com |language=en}}</ref> It is believed the first Trinity House in Philadelphia was built in 1715 with it intended to house Penn and his family.<ref name=":1" /> [[File:Domestic architecture of the American colonies and of the early republic (1922) (14759129316).jpg|thumb|Letitia Street House, the first Trinity House in its original location.]] Penn's urban organisation left many vacant lands between buildings with him wanting allow distance between neighbours, creating what Penn described as "greene country towne"<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mann |first=Emily |date=2016-03-22 |title=Story of cities #7: Philadelphia grid marks birth of America's urban dream |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/mar/22/story-of-cities-7-philadelphia-grid-pennsylvania-william-penn-america-urban-dream |access-date=2025-08-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Philadelphia Keeps Original Promise As a "Greene Countrie Town" |url=https://www.visitphilly.com/media-center/press-releases/philadelphia-keeps-original-promise-as-a-greene-countrie-town/ |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Visit Philadelphia |language=en-US}}</ref> This design ethos left much vacant space which was needed as the city developed into the 18th Century when population arose.
To meet the new housing demands of the 18th Century, the larger blocks were subdivided, adding alleyways and smaller streets running between the main avenues. Townhouses went up in these spaces to maximize housing. Meanwhile, builders bought up the cheaper land along the inner alleyways. These early Trinity Houses were built in the Georgian style of the time.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Solo |date=2022-03-21 |title=The Secret Life of Buildings - The Philadelphia Trinity House |url=https://www.solorealty.com/blog/the-secret-life-of-buildings-the-philadelphia-trinity-house/ |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Solo Real Estate {{!}} Philadelphia Real Estate Brokerage |language=en-US}}</ref>
These townhouses, which were generally three stories in height, came to be known as "trinity houses," which both referred to the three-levels of the house as well as the holy Catholic trinity of "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Whelan |first=Juliet |title=The Tiny Streets and Trinity Row Houses of Philadelphia |url=https://metropolismag.com/projects/tiny-streets-trinity-row-houses-philadelphia/ |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Metropolis |language=en-US}}</ref>
The oldest surviving Trinity Houses are on Elfreth's Alley, Philadelphia with it having achieved status of a National Historic Landmark originally having been built between 1703-1836.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />
The houses were originally built for the working-classes and artisans as affordable housing.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/philadelphias-trinity-houses-are-the-original-tiny-houses Trinity Houses at ''Atlas Obscura'']
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Category:Houses in Philadelphia Category:House types