The building, described as one of the region’s great examples of Greek Revival church architecture, was erected in 1853. Holsey Gates, founder of Gates Mills in 1826, financed most of its construction, and it served Methodist Episcopal congregants until 1926. As attendance in that denomination declined, an Episcopal mission acquired the building in 1927 and renamed it St. Christopher’s by the River. Church trustee and eminent Cleveland architect Frank Walker soon made historically sensitive renovations, followed by additional work in 1953-1954, 1965, and 1984. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.