In 1911, the original owners, the South Dutch Reformed Church, commissioned the firm of Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, to design the Park Avenue sanctuary.

Their designer, English architect William Heywood, was inspired by the features of La Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, which were translated into the stately proportions and the slender 70-foot (21 m) spire (flèche) of its New York counterpart.

In 2015, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a controversial development that involved the demolition of the church's 1963 annex and sale of land and adjacent air rights to enable construction of a 16-storey 210-foot (64 m) limestone and schist-clad residential tower, comprising eleven condominium units including a 33-foot (10 m) penthouse.

Beginning with its participation in the movement to abolish slavery during the 19th century, the Church has espoused an ethical commitment to pursue social justice.

The congregation continues to be committed to the ecumenical movement for Christian unity, community service, interfaith acceptance, peacemaking and a major involvement in the arts, especially music.

[8] TUJ was founded in 1974 by Rabbi Roy A. Rosenberg as a haven for interfaith couples and families, while also welcoming Jews from other backgrounds, as well as non-Jews interested in Judaism.

As an example of its efforts to follow the imperative of tikkun olam ("repairing the world") through social action and interfaith cooperation, TUJ holds various events together with The Park, such as the joint annual commemoration in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., and his friend in the civil rights movement, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.