Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral was established on the west side of Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, in the Quality Hill area, on July 20, 1870 as "Saint Paul's Church."

It was renamed "Grace Church" on April 14, 1873 after a two-year campaign by the Senior Warden, John R. Balis (1834–1914), who had suggested that name at the organizational meeting in 1870.

Grace Church built a wood frame structure on the southeast corner of Tenth and Central Streets in 1874.

Mann had just returned from a three-month trip to England, where he studied the many great cathedrals of that country, when he asked the Vestry of Grace Church to engage Hill as the architect for the new stone structure.

Hill's design for the Nave was greatly influenced by Mann's vision after his tour of English churches and cathedrals.

With the addition of individual chairs placed over every available inch of floor space, the Nave of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral is able to accommodate a congregation of close to 800 people.

Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral is one of the most important living museums of stained glass in the United States of America.

", that provides a kaleidoscope of colors at sunset each day; seven windows in a "Life of Christ" series designed in 1930 by English stained glass artist James Humphries Hogan (1883–1948); a very late Tiffany window dating from 1935, (the firm had declared bankruptcy in 1932 and was operating under the corporate name "Louis C. Tiffany Studios Corporation",) designer unknown, but in the style of Frederick Wilson (1858–1932); and three windows from Boston stained glass artist Dr. Charles Jay Connick (1875–1945), installed and dedicated in 1943, 1944, and 1945.

After five years, Grace and Holy Trinity Church was consecrated as the Cathedral of the Diocese of West Missouri on October 29, 1935.

It remained a two-storey stump until 1936, when Henry DeLancy Ashley (1856–1938) began a building campaign to complete it with his donation of $100.

The organ was renovated in 2004 by D. Leslie Smith (born 1950), who had assisted Kney with the original construction and installation of the instrument.

In 1997, ground was broken for construction of Founders' Hall, which came into being in large part from the vision of the Dean Emeritus of the Cathedral, J. Earl Cavanaugh (1930–2007) and William Thornton Kemper, Jr. (1902-1989).

It houses a large assembly room for the congregation, with a small professional kitchen, storage, and restrooms on its main floor.

The lower level contains a much larger professionally equipped kitchen and dining area, the Archives of the Cathedral, and more storage space.