Immaculate Conception was founded in 1868 by Father James McGorlick as an addition to a school opened two years earlier by the pastor of the nearby Church of St. Anthony of Padua. In 1873, the parish consisting primarily of Irish immigrants dedicated a new church and school located at Third Street and Third Avenue North. Designed by the local architectural firm, Alden and Howe, the church was one of the largest and most elaborate in Minneapolis at the time of its construction. Built of local limestone, it measured 137 feet long by 64 feet wide; transepts increased its width by another 20 feet. The church and school were used by the parish until a new church designed by the French architect Emmanuel Masqueray was erected in 1913 on Hennepin Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets. At the time of the move, the parish name was changed to the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary.
Link to the Basilica of St. Mary: https://housesofworship.umn.edu/node/601