In 1925 Archbishop Alexander Christie authorized construction of a new cathedral at the corner of NW 18th and Couch streets as he struggled with a mortal illness.

Thomas Hacker and Associates, a Portland architectural firm, was asked to a draft detailed restoration plan for the cathedral and a larger master plan that would provide for long-range improvements around the cathedral in keeping with the Catholic tradition of service.

The restoration included seismic strengthening, electrical, heating, and lighting updating, as well as liturgical and artistic modifications.

The marble statues of Mary and the Sacred Heart against the north walls of both transepts were carved in Switzerland and brought to the earlier 3rd and Stark Street cathedral by the Benedictine monks, who later founded Mount Angel Abbey.

The architectural style is 20th-century Romanesque and Byzantine, with a red tiled gable roof, cast-stone Corinthian columns, and a square tower with copper cornices.