St. Paul's parish was established in 1834. When the diocese was established in 1843 St. Paul's Church was chosen as the cathedral. As the downtown area was claimed by industries, the residential areas shifted to other areas of the city. St. Paul's property was sold to the industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The present Gothic Revival structure was designed by Egan and Prindeville of Chicago and completed in 1906. Philadelphia contractor Thomas Reilly built the new cathedral in the Oakland neighborhood.