The cathedral is located on the bluff overlooking Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States.

In 1983 the cathedral was included as a contributing property in the College Square Historic District, which is also listed on the National Register.

The Episcopal Church can trace its beginnings in Scott County to services held in 1837 by the Rt.

Zachariah Goldsmith of Virginia was appointed missionary to Davenport by the Domestic Committee of the Board of Missions of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States.

In 1853 the congregation erected a stone building at the corner of Fifth and Rock Island (now Pershing) streets.

Jackson Kemper, the missionary bishop of the Northwest, invited the clergy and representatives of the congregations of the state of Iowa to a meeting on August 17, 1853, at Trinity Church in Muscatine.

At this gathering, the constitutions and canons for the new Diocese of Iowa were adopted, and plans were made for the election of a bishop.

The General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America admitted the Diocese of Iowa to its membership on October 7–8, 1853.

Henry Washington Lee, rector of St. Luke's Church in Rochester, New York, was elected bishop.

[7] Through the generosity of people from the eastern United States, Bishop Lee purchased land as an investment for the new diocese.

When Bishop Lee arrived in Davenport, he found that several people had left Trinity Church and wanted to create a new parish.

A chapel was constructed on the corner of Main and 12th streets on the Griswold College property where the congregation worshiped until June 18, 1873, when it became the nucleus for the new bishop's church.

Bishop Lee contributed nearly $15,000 of his own money to finish construction and furnish the church.

He was joined by Bishops Robert Clarkson of Nebraska and Henry Benjamin Whipple of Minnesota, who preached the dedicatory sermon.

William Stevens Perry, Lee's successor as Bishop of Iowa, implemented the cathedral organization on April 1, 1877.

The chapter was made up of the following officials: praecentor, chancellor, treasurer, canons, rural deans, and honorary prebends.

The roof itself is divided into two pitches with an uninterrupted band of clerestory widows, which are 1 foot (30 cm) high.

The interior features wooden beams that form an intricate complex of transverse and rib vaulting.

The chancel and apse ceiling is painted in terra-cotta and features stenciling in gold leaf.

The rest of the cathedral's décor is rather plain with white plastered walls above dark wood wainscoting.

The residence of Mrs. John L. Davies, which was named Cambria Place, was chosen as the location for the new school.

They built a structure opposite the cathedral on Main Street, and it opened in September 1886 as Kemper Hall, named for the missionary bishop.

[18][19] It was built through the generosity of Clarissa Cook, an early benefactor to charitable organizations in Davenport and the Episcopal Church.

She built the new church in memory of her husband, Ebenezer Cook, who had served on the vestry at Trinity for 30 years.

The house is a 2½-story structure that features side gables with end parapets and a two-story wing in the back.

While plain in appearance, its grey-tan exterior and vaguely Tudor Gothic style is in keeping with the color scheme and architectural theme of the rest of the Trinity complex.

Elwood Lindsay Haines (1944–1949) the bishop's residence and the diocesan headquarters were moved to Des Moines.

[2] Potter's original plans called for a stone spire,[9] but one covered in metal was erected instead.

One hundred and thirty-one years after the cornerstone was laid by Bishop Lee, the cathedral was completed.

Stoplist:[26] Pedale Grand Orgue Positif Echo (*) pairs indicate half hitch.