When the congregation outgrew the first building within a decade, a new church was built on Union Square at 133 Geary Street, under clergyman Thomas Starr King, who was instrumental in advocating for California to join the Union.

[4][5] Thomas Starr King died in 1864 and his sarcophagus still remains is on the grounds of the church.

The building was designed by architects Percy & Hamilton in the Richardson Romanesque-style.

[7] Prominent members associated with the early days of the church in San Francisco were James Otis,[8] Leland Stanford, Bret Harte, Andrew Smith Hallidie, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

[2] Later members of the congregation included Julia Ward Howe and Edward Everett Hale.