Holy Trinity Church, Shanghai

The red brick tower of Holy Trinity Church rises above the surrounding neighborhood with a sharp, pointed spire that reaches toward the sky. It served as the primary place of worship for the British community in Shanghai throughout the nineteenth century. In nineteen sixty-six, during the Cultural Revolution, the building lost its spire and took on a new life as a meeting hall for the municipal government. Workers covered the stained glass and dismantled the interior, leaving the structure almost unrecognizable for decades.