Located at 701 North 40th Street in the Gold Coast Historic District, the cathedral was ranked as one of the ten largest in the United States when it was completed in 1905.

Begun in 1905 and consecrated in 1959,[citation needed] it was designed by architect Thomas Rogers Kimball.

Kimball justified his choice because of the early influence of Spain and Mexico on the region.

It was once part of the missionary area subject to the See of Santiago de Cuba.

On March 16, 2007, a painting of The Virgin Immaculata was reported stolen from St. Cecilia.