[2] The historic church was designed by chief architect Bertram Goodhue[2] of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson in a mix of Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival architectural styles.

[2][4] In 1919, a $3,000 (equivalent to $53,000 in 2023) addition was started, which included a stage and dressing rooms.

[5] The chimes were donated to the building by aviator Pancho Barnes,[6] who, on January 5, 1921, had married Rev.

[7] When the tower was repaired and retrofitted to meet earthquake protection standards,[2] the chapel's pillars were narrowed, which had been obstructing views of the front of the church from rear pews.

[7] The church was the site of the 1929 wedding of actress Bessie Love to William Hawks, attended by such celebrities as Ronald Colman and William Powell, mobbed by a crowd of 25,000, and documented in Cecil Beaton's Diaries.