 Under the leadership of Vicar-General Joseph Ferneding, the members bought the present site and surrounding properties in February 1848; their design was finalized four months later, and construction was financed by the sale of the land now comprising the surrounding neighborhood.Construction was finished in 1850; the completed building measures and stands tall with a tin-covered gabled roof; the building is built of brick on a stone foundation.A fire in 1899 destroyed all but the church walls and German-made stained glass windows, but reconstruction began at once, and the new St. Paul's was dedicated on October 7, 1900.