The limestone church was designed in the neo-Gothic style by the firm Mayers, Murray &amp; Phillip, successors to Bertram Goodhue. Goodhue died before the first stone was laid. Mayers Murray &amp; Phillip took over construction. It opened Easter Day 1929, seating 1,050, at a cost of $3.2 million. Sculpture was to be executed by Malvina Hoffman, Lee Lawrie, and other artists. The architecture and sculpture combined Neo-Gothic styles with Art deco details. However, over two-thirds of the sculptural program was never executed; sculptor Janet Scudder withdrew from a commission in 1928 after it was downsized. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 ended other work and the blocky limestone facade was retained without sculpture.