Construction began in 1912 and the cornerstone was blessed by the Apostolic Delegate to Canada, Archbishop Peregrin-François Stagni, O.S.M.

[4] Modelled after churches in northern France, it is faced in yellow brick with limestone accents.

[citation needed] The light and airy interior of the cathedral is decorated sparingly in keeping with Canadian aesthetic sensibilities.

[5] Immediately to the west of the Cathedral, across the closed Garnet Street, is the building that formerly housed Sacred Heart Academy, a girls' high school operated by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions,[6] who also conducted music tuition for music students from across the city.

The building has now been converted to strata title and sold as townhouses, but the Archdiocese has retained a portion of the east basement, once the piano studios, for offices.