Our history · Downtown Des Moines · Since 1854
In the Heart of Des Moines
Since 1854, St. Paul’s has grown with Des Moines. Our story brings together worship, beauty, service, and a lasting commitment to downtown and its neighbors.
Our Story at a Glance
St. Paul’s history is woven into the history of Des Moines itself, from early services in the Polk County Courthouse to our life today as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Iowa.
St. Paul’s held its first Episcopal services in Des Moines at the Polk County Courthouse.
The first St. Paul’s church building opened on Seventh Street between Walnut and Locust.
The present Gothic church opened for its first services on Easter Day.
St. Paul’s became the liturgical cathedral of the Diocese of Iowa.
St. Paul’s was honored by its addition to the National Register of Historic Places.
The first St. Paul’s church on Seventh Street between Walnut and Locust.
1854–1883 · Growing with Des Moines
From courthouse to congregation
St. Paul’s held its first services in October 1854, when Des Moines was still a young community. Before the congregation had a building of its own, it worshiped at the Polk County Courthouse, sharing the space with other religious groups.
The first church building opened in 1857 on Seventh Street between Walnut and Locust. It was a frame structure with a square bell tower over the entry.
As the congregation grew out of the first building, the Vestry purchased two lots at Ninth Street and what is now High Street in 1870. The local architectural firm of Foster & Liebbe was commissioned to design the church, and construction began in 1883.
1885 · A lasting home
A building made for generations
Designed as a late Victorian Gothic church, virtually all windows and exterior door openings are Gothic arched, and the building is anchored to its setting by the corner bell tower topped with crenelated stone spires.
The stonework reflects the skill of nineteenth-century craftspeople working with the tools of their time. The lectern and baptismal font were brought from the earlier church, and the first services in the new building were held at Easter in 1885.
The building retains its distinctive Gothic character, while successive generations have adapted it for worship and parish life. Renovations and the early 1950s parish-house addition have provided space for the congregation’s changing needs while respecting the architecture of the original church.
A historic view of the church that opened in 1885.
Original stained glass, preserving the gifts and memories of the congregation.
Art, faith, and the people who gave
Windows of memory and meaning
The original stained-glass windows in the nave were made by Groves & Steil of Philadelphia. These memorial windows preserve the gifts and memories of the congregation that built this church.
Together, the windows form a distinctive collection of nineteenth-century art glass, connecting the cathedral’s beauty with the lives of the people remembered here.
The windows are fabricated in the then-popular Aesthetic Style. They combine stylized floral and foliage shapes with traditional Christian symbolism and the Victorian language of flowers, giving them multiple levels of meaning unified by repeating colors and motifs.
The windows commemorate people whose lives were part of the church’s story. Their memorial inscriptions give the glass a personal meaning as well as a religious one.
The varied designs and memorial quotations suggest that individual donors helped shape the windows’ content, rather than every window following a single program chosen by clergy or the architect.
Piety Hill · A shared downtown history
Part of the life of downtown
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the area around High and Pleasant Streets became known as “Piety Hill.” A cluster of churches and Temple B’nai Jeshurun brought different faith traditions into this small part of Des Moines, their towers and spires forming a familiar city skyline.
The historic “Seven Church Spires” postcard pictured St. Paul’s alongside Methodist, Christian, Baptist, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches and the Jewish temple. Nearby St. Ambrose and St. John’s were also part of the wider neighborhood’s religious life.
As Des Moines grew, congregations moved, rebuilt, and found new ways to serve their communities. St. Paul’s continued its life here, alongside other downtown churches. These different paths are all part of the city’s story.
For St. Paul’s, being downtown is a continuing invitation to be a good neighbor: to welcome people, share beauty and music, and respond to the needs of the city around us.
St. Paul’s within the changing downtown landscape.
The cathedral’s tradition of worship and music continues today.
Worship within · Music beyond our walls
The sound of a living cathedral
A home for cathedral worship
Interior modifications in 1937 included wood paneling in the chancel and sanctuary, along with a new altar and a carved wooden reredos, the decorative screen behind the altar.
Following St. Paul’s designation as the liturgical cathedral of the Diocese of Iowa in 1992, the chancel was adapted for its cathedral role, including the cathedra, or bishop’s chair, and seating for the dean and canons.
The Casavant organ
The search for a new organ began in 1990, and installation of Casavant Frères Opus 3719 began in 1993. Built in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, the instrument was expanded in later phases. The organ has 68 ranks and nearly 4,000 pipes, with the largest pipe weighing approximately 500 pounds. Its range of sound supports both cathedral worship and concert music.
Bells above downtown
The bells are another living expression of St. Paul’s musical heritage. The original eleven-bell chime was installed in 1896, a gift from Seth Graham, and first rang at his daughter Clara’s wedding.
A restoration supported by Mary Belle Windsor expanded the chime to fourteen bells, with a dedication recital in 1990. Eleven more bells were added in 1997, completing the twenty-five-bell Windsor Memorial Carillon. The completed instrument has an approximate combined weight of 12,538 pounds.
Today, the carillon rings out over downtown Des Moines, offering music as a public gift and a sign of the cathedral’s presence in the city.
2011 · Making room for quiet
A place of peace in the city
In 2011, the labyrinth and rain garden transformed an asphalt parking area on the north side of the church into a distinctive place of quiet in downtown Des Moines.
Permeable pavement helps manage stormwater, while native planting is designed to reduce irrigation needs. The landscape brings care for the environment into the cathedral’s everyday setting.
The labyrinth and rain garden welcome the public, free of charge, offering space for prayer, reflection, and beauty in the heart of downtown.
The labyrinth and rain garden offer space for reflection downtown.
Still in the heart of the city
St. Paul’s welcomes people from different backgrounds and walks of life. Here in the heart of downtown, we seek to offer a place of sacred beauty, shared worship, and belonging.
The story of St. Paul’s is not only about preserving the past. It is about carrying forward a living tradition of worship, beauty, service, and welcome for generations to come.