The Rev. Benjamin Close organized the Market Street church on December 31, 1848. The modest house of worship, built for less than $3000 was the first Protestant church in the territory and the first brick building in St. Paul. In 1855 a new church building was built at 9th and Jackson. The congregation had agreed they would vacate the older structure and relocate before construction began, but when the time came, some families refused to leave the Market Street and the congregation split.
Some years later, those who stayed moved on to St. Anthony Hill and became the First Methodist Episcopal Church at Portland & Victoria. The rest of the congregation moved to the new Jackson Street building and became the Jackson Street Methodist Episcopal Church. The Market Street Church was used for a garage for a number of years before it was demolished to make way for a western entrance to the St. Paul Hotel.