It is the oldest church still standing on Woodward Avenue, an area once called Piety Hill for its large number of religious buildings.

[2] The parish of St. John's was organized in Detroit in 1858, primarily due to the efforts of Henry Porter Baldwin, a successful merchant who later became governor of Michigan and a United States senator.

[4] Porter purchased and donated the property, which was then on the northern outskirts of Detroit's city limits at the corner of Woodward and High Street (now Interstate 75).

The interior has galleries cantilevered on three sides; originally there were no intermediary piers to support the roof, giving the church an auditorium feel.

The altar, installed in 1873, is constructed of white Caen stone; it serves as a memorial to the mother of then-Rector George Worthington.

These include the screen made from wrought iron and Caen stone, the harmonizing pulpit, and the brass lectern.