The church and its related McKinnon House were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The church facility hosts several ministries, including: Long before Utica was incorporated as a city in 1832, it was a small village known as Fort Schuyler.

On February 18, 1794, this society was received into the Presbytery of Albany, being then farther west than any other Presbyterian church.

Following a disastrous fire in 1851, the imposing structure of Old First Church was built in the Romanesque Revival style on the northeast corner of Washington and Columbia Streets.

Ralph Adams Cram, architect for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, was chosen to design the new church.

Some of the decorative woodwork in Brewer Chapel came from the old building and temporarily graced the Oneida Square storefront which was used as a transitional sanctuary.

The structure now called the Church House was built in 1899 as a lavish private residence by Robert MacKinnon.

Before the new owners had occupied the building, the church became interested in the property and the resale price climbed overnight to $65,000.