The new church opened in 1924, after two years of construction, and was consecrated in 1925. The Los Angeles Times reported that the last service in the old church was "rife with tender memories" and an "added charm and reverence pervaded the occasion." When the new church opened the following week, the Times called it "one of the most beautiful and costly edifices in the country." Another report noted: "Critics declare it the most beautiful in Los Angeles." Built at a cost of $650,000 (approximately $ in ), the church was described at the time as a "close copy of an Italian church of the sixth century in built at Toscanella."
