Formed in the 1840s, the congregation built the present building shortly after 1900, along with an adjacent church school.

Since approximately 1860, the stretch of Prospect Avenue where Zion Lutheran was built had been a primarily residential neighborhood.

Beginning after 1930, the neighborhood deteriorated as many buildings were demolished, often to create room for parking lots.

[7] One of the congregation's early pastors was Heinrich Christian Schwan, who also served as the third president of the LCMS.

[8] He has been credited with being the first pastor to erect a Christmas tree in an American church sanctuary when he and his wife erected one at Zion Lutheran in 1851, located then at the corner of Lakeside Avenue and East Sixth Street in Cleveland.