[2] The historically black parish was chartered in 1927 by thirty African American professionals as a Colored Episcopal Mission.

St. Augustine's original home was at 19th and Adams in Gary's Midtown section in an old Roman Catholic Mission building.

With this influx, the congregation grew enough so that by 1955, the church was growing too large to remain in its rented Catholic Mission home.

Drawing upon this information, Dart produced a second custom design that was eventually agreed to by the congregation's leadership after discussions that lasted several years.

[3] A new building was constructed from Dart's designs in 1958 at the corner of 19th and Ellsworth in the Tolleston section of Gary, and immediately attracted widespread recognition.

Several magazines and newspapers including the Chicago Tribune ran articles about the building shortly after its completion due to its perceived architectural beauty, but few mentioned the fact that the congregation it housed was African American.