"[2] The cornerstone was laid on March 8, 1864, by Bishop Horatio Potter of the New York Diocese, the first services were held on December 11, and the church was consecrated on April 20, 1865.

[3][4] Except for its tower and walls, the building was destroyed by a fire which began on March 24, 1882.

[2][3] In 1905–1906, the church rectory was rebuilt and received a new facade in neo-Jacobean style designed by Edward P.

The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1979, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

[5]The church contains art work by noted Victorian artists including Louis Comfort Tiffany, John Lafarge, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Edward Burne-Jones, William Morris, Daniel Chester French and Henry Hobson Richardson.