The Reverend George Rottenstein officiated the first Episcopal church service in Dallas, May 25, 1856, on the second floor of a general store.

On July 8, 1860, a fire consumed most of the businesses on the town square as well as the rented facilities and all church belongings and records of Saint Matthew's.

Alexander Gregg, first bishop of Texas, visited Dallas in October 1860, he found no church building, no records, and only six communicants.

In 1893, the congregation constructed a fine new stone cathedral on the corner of Elm and Lamar, but within a few years the growing industrious city encroached.

At that same time, Saint Mary's Episcopal College for Women was facing substantial financial struggles as new schools opened in the city.

The vestry chose to relocate the cathedral to the corner of Ross and Henderson and assume the debt of St. Mary's College.

The Wall Street crash of 1929 occurred in October, and the cathedral, like its parishioners and citizens of Dallas, suffered greatly.

The tree-lined college campus is now the cathedral close, and the facilities house a collection of stained-glass windows dating from the late 19th century.

The cathedral directs the Right Reverend James M. Stanton Center for Ministry Formation, whose primary mission is to serve people who feel called to the diaconate; both to aid them in their discernment process and to provide the necessary theological training for possible ordination as deacons.

The Cathedral Center is a place where deacons-in-training can be part of a community, attend graduate-level classes, and experience spiritual growth.

The school also trains bi-vocational priests to serve in rural areas, youth ministers, training in cross-cultural awareness, as well as a variety of lay licensing classes and general classes to allow lay people to study the Bible, theology, and church history at a deeper level than is usually available in a local church setting.

The organ has been expanded several times and now features three manuals, 35–40 stops (depending on the method used to count them) and around 40 ranks of pipes.

The cathedral has hosted various festivals of music with renowned musicians over the years, including such local talent as concert organists James Diaz and Bradley Welch.

The cathedral is also host of several diocesan services and events including ordinations, confirmations, conventions, annual vergers' conferences as well as a variety of retreats for religious and civic groups.

In addition, the cathedral hosts for the community a number of civic events each year, including plays, dances, festivals, and summer camps for youth.

In addition, developers are purchasing portions of land in the area and building expensive apartment and condominium complexes.

In 1929, the chapel was enlarged to hold the large congregation of the cathedral, changing the proportions of the traditional cross configuration.

Because of the church's location in Texas, some windows contain unusual images, such as cowboys, Native Americans, and a stagecoach.

The foyer of the Great Hall contains several stained-glass works, including a Tiffany window from the previous cathedral.

Media related to Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew, Dallas, Texas at Wikimedia Commons