Our Lady of Lourdes is the oldest continuously used church in the city of Minneapolis. Near this spot in 1680, Fr. Louis Hennepin first sighted and named the Falls of St. Anthony.  It was designated a U.S. historic landmark in 1934 and is the first parish in the United States named in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes. The superstructure of the church clearly shows two different types of architecture. On the original building, the front rectangular nave was constructed of native limestone by the First Universalist Society between 1854 and 1857, in a Greek temple style. Twenty years later, in 1877, the building was purchased by the Catholic French Canadian community, which had been a part of St. Anthony of Padua, the first Catholic parish in Minneapolis. These first parishioners added a mansard style transept to the east end of the building. Other early additions by the parishioners include a bell tower, sacristy, and a vestibule with steps. In 1881, a one-ton bell was installed. This community has worshipped here continuously for more than 145 years.