They had long been under pressure from the fast-growing city and the British bombadement in 1807 during the Battle of Copenhagen showed they had become outdated.

By 1850 a decision had still not formally been taken but in 1852 the Demarcation Line, which heavily restricted the access to build within a certain zone outside the fortifications, was confined to the area inside the Lakes, and in 1855 the new times were further anticipated with the demolition of the Northern City Gate.

[1] In 1861 construction of St. John's Church began on land provided by the city on the old Blegdam Common.

St. John's was the first church in the Copenhagen area to revive Medieval features such as crow-stepped gables and pointed-arched windows.

The church was completed the same year as Copenhagen University Library, another building which combined red bricks and a Neo-Gothic design.

Located on Blegdamsvej, between Sankt Hans Torv and the Panum Institute, St. John's remains the largest church in the Nørrebro district.