St. Matthias Episcopal Church was established in Detroit as a Sunday school in 1897. It became a mission of the Diocese of Michigan in 1901. In 1906 St. Matthias was admitted to the diocese as a parish. The parish soon grew to become a congregation of over 1,000 members. After meeting in several locations a church building was dedicated in 1926 on Grand River Avenue at West Grand Boulevard. By the 1950s the parish had almost 2,000 members, and was for a time the largest Episcopal parish in Detroit. In the 1960s and 1970s, however, membership declined precipitously, and the parish was closed August 13, 1978.