Polish immigrants began to arrive in Northeast Minneapolis in the late 1860s settling in an area known as “the Flats” that extended from Fifth Avenue to Broadway Avenue and from Sibley Street near the Mississippi River to Marshall Street. (“Northeast Minneapolis: A Church on Every Corner”, p. 12) Not having a parish of their own, the Poles initially worshipped in the nearby German St Boniface or St. Anthony of Padua, some even traveling to St. Adalbert’s in St. Paul just so they could hear their native tongue. A parish was formed in 1884 and land was purchased at the corner of 17th Ave. and 4th St. NE. . Two years later, the congregation purchased the original 1851 St. Anthony of Padua Church and moved it to the site. The parish grew and Bishop John Ireland 1891 suggested they erect a larger church. Located at 1621 University Avenue and designed by Cordella and Olson, the church was finally completed and dedicated in 1928. A simple but elegant brick basilica-plan church on the exterior, the interior is overflowing with marble, mosaics, statuary, and paintings.