The Saint Alexander Nevsky Church was established in 1936 by Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko) (Russian: Виталий (Максименко)) on a tract of land donated by Yulia Martinovna Plavskaya.

In 1987, ground was cleared for the construction of a new, second church, and on September 12, 1989, on the Feast Day of St. Alexander Nevsky, the cornerstone was laid and the relics of St. Herman of Alaska placed in the foundation.

The imposing edifice, completed in 1997, is the work of Nikolaus Karsanov, architect and Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov, engineer.

The Great blessing of the cathedral took place on October 18, 1997, with seven bishops, headed by Metropolitan Vitaly Ustinov, and 36 priests and deacons officiating, some 800 faithful attended the festivity.

Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) announced, that cathedral will officially become the episcopal See of the Ruling Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Eastern America and New York and the administrative center of the Diocese on September 12, 2014.