The parish was established in 1901 under the authority of Michael Corrigan, the Archbishop of New York,[4] to serve the growing Catholic population of the Hamilton Heights neighborhood.

Joseph H. McMahon, who had just served as a curate at St. Patrick's Cathedral for the previous fifteen years.

[1] The building combined discarded elements of three recently demolished structures, which McMahon was able to obtain at a bargain: The church, which has been called "one of the oddest buildings in New York",[6] was designated a New York City Landmark on July 22, 1975.

Ten years later a larger school was constructed, which was also served by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus.

[4] Today the parish serves a congregation of African Americans, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, Eritreans and Mexicans, among others.