Christ Church is the oldest church building in Louisville. Founded May 31, 1822, when Louisville was a bustling town on the western frontier, this congregation, still in its original location, is today a vital presence in the center of the modern city. The original structure, completed in 1824, was built according to a modified Federal meetinghouse design. The building as we see it today preserves much of the original fabric, plus a series of 19th century additions and alterations. The 1870 facade seems to have set the pattern for Old Louisville churches, with its two asymmetrical towers, predominantly English Medieval sources and the use of local limestone.

Christ Church became the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky in May 1894. The Cathedral structure, the oldest public building in downtown Louisville, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.