When Minneapolis incorporated into its borders the farmland between
Lake Street and Richfield, Incarnation was the first parish located
there, earning it the title ‘the cathedral in the cornfields’. Founded in 1909,
the first Masses were held in the Ark Lodge on Lake Street, until a school and
basement church were completed in May 1911. A rectory was added in 1912,
and fundraising began for a permanent church building.
The present church was completed in 1920. The architect was Emmanuel Masqueray, who
designed the Cathedral of Saint Paul, the Basilica of Saint Mary, and several other notable
buildings. Additional school buildings were constructed in 1935 (with a convent for the
Dominican Sisters) and in 1962. Several of these buildings are now on the National Register of
Historic Places and they form a Minneapolis Historic District.
On March 9, 2022, a candle ignited a fire in a side chapel, causing significant smoke and
water damage to the historic building. Restoration and repair were undertaken immediately
to restore the church to its original splendor.
