Newark’s second oldest Episcopal parish was founded in 1837. The present brown freestone building, completed in 1848, was designed by the famed Richard Upjohn, a master of English Gothic style. In 1882, Samuel A. Ward, a choir-master here, composed a hymn tune that later became the melody of “America the Beautiful.” Since the 19th century, Grace Church has been noted for its choral music and Anglo-Catholic worship. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1988.