Trinity Church was constructed in 1698 and the pirate captain William Kidd lent equipment from his ship to help hoist the stones. In 1709 it created a charity school for itself. The school moved into its own building in 1749 and King's College, now known as Columbia University, was founded in that building's first floor.

The church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1776 which started in the fighting Cocks Tavern.