Built in 1886 and designed by the father of the skyscraper, William Le Baron Jenney, in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, the building originally housed the Church of the Redeemer, a Universalist congregation.

[1][3] They originally held services in the upper hall of the West Market on Randolph, before moving to a vacant Presbyterian church later in 1858.

[9][1] The superintendent of the Sunday school, J. H. Swan served as a lieutenant, and the church's pastor, J. H. Tuttle, presented him with his sword.

[1] In November 1869, a meeting was held at the church to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the introduction of Universalism to America, where $900,000 was raised for the denomination.

[1] A liberal in his views, both political and theological, Gregory was a vocal advocate for shifting the tax burden to the wealthy and the direct election of U.S.

[23] Actor James A. Herne spoke at the church in February 1898, advocating for the adoption of a single tax on valuable land, arguing that the country's present system of taxation fell disproportionately on the poor.

[18] On November 7, 1915, Mayor William Hale Thompson addressed the West Side People's Forum at the church.

Graham led a fundraising effort by local pastors for the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, following its bombing by Ku Klux Klan members.

[31] On May 24, 1971, a gospel music concert was held at the church as part of a membership drive for the Chicago Urban League.