The property was purchased by businessman and politician Duncan Cameron, a wealthy and influential figure in Raleigh.

Thomas Atkinson, the third Episcopal Bishop of North Carolina, visited the chapel for the first time in 1858 and said "I was gratified by its beauty, its appropriate arrangements, and its adaptation to its purpose."

[3][4] The building is also designated a contributing property to Saint Mary's School's listing as a historic district on the NRHP.

[5] St. Mary's Chapel, a board-and-batten building with steep gable roof, was designed in the Gothic Revival style.

The north (liturgical east) side of the chapel features a large stained glass lancet window topped by a louvered quatrefoil.