The site was originally home to the small wooden St. Jacques Church built in 1832. This structure was destroyed in 1841 to make way for a larger church, designed by local builder Antoine Robillard and Father John Francis Cannon who requested a Neo-classical design. However, in 1844, after the lower section was completed, the Oblate Fathers (OMI) assumed stewardship of the parish and Father Pierre-Adrien Telmon was sent from France to finish the construction. Father Telmon decided to redesign the church into a Neo-Gothic structure, a style which was growing in popularity. This resulted in the lower features, such as the main entrance, being Neo-Classical, while the upper portions of the structure are Neo-Gothic.