At first Polish Catholics in St. Paul worshipped along with Bohemian Catholics in a small church at the corner of Western Avenue and Superior Street which was named the Parish of St. Stanislaus. However, as their numbers grew, the Poles wanted to organize a distinctly Polish parish where they could speak their language, and practice their customs and traditions. In 1881, two lots were purchased at the corner of Charles and Galtier Street and the old French Church located on the corner of 10th and Cedar Street was purchased and moved to the site. By 1906 it was apparent that a larger church was required to service the needs of the growing parish. The land was purchased in Frogtown, 265 Charles Avenue, and an architectural team, Boyer, Taylor, and Tewes, was hired to design the new church. The basilica plan church dedicated in 1911, measures 144 feet long, 60 feet wide, and the transepts are 84 feet across. Its twin towers that rise 65 feet above the ground are modeled after the Church of St. Barbara in Cracow, Poland.