On This Date In Twin Cities History - December 22, 1858

On this date in 1858, the Reverend Edward Duffield Neill officiates at the dedication of the first House of Hope Presbyterian Church. Located on Walnut Street between what was then Oak and Pleasant Streets in St. Paul, it was one of the earliest structures built in the city. The church was a small, rectangular, wooden structure that, at the time, could easily be seen from the Summit Avenue mansions on the bluffs above. In 1869, the congregation built a new church at Fifth and Exchange Streets. And in 1914, they moved to their present home on Summit Avenue. This beautiful Gothic Revival structure located in St. Paul’s Historic Hill district was designed by Ralph Adams Cram and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul circa 1918 (MHS)