The building was designed by Gordon & Helliwell,[2] along with a rectory next door (which has not been owned by the church for many years).

The church suffered a major fire in 1976 that gutted the building and destroyed the parish hall next door.

The fire was determined to be arson by Toronto police and the perpetrator was convicted and jailed.

The church was rebuilt preserving the original exterior appearance, however the interior was radically redesigned to maximize flexibility.

Historically, the Church of the Messiah was a bastion of the low-church Anglicanism in Canada.