The original building of the Grace Presbyterian Church was constructed near the City Hall in 1901 – it no longer exists. The First Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1896 and is located at 200 South Main. In 1929 these two congregations came together at the Main Street location.

In 1972, a Building Commission comprised of Mark Littleton, chair, and members Grace Cartwright, James Doss and W. D. Newberry, Jr. brought to the congregation the recommendation that a new church be built on a new site, bounded by Mockingbird Lane, Charles Street and South Bowie Drive. There were 108 votes for, and 14 votes against.

The Building Commission hired the firm of Al Komatsu and Associates of Fort Worth as architects. Realizing that it takes the best planning of a congregation to bring out the best abilities of an architect, numerous planning sessions were held, involving every segment and every talent of the entire congregation, working with Ed Jackson of the Komatsu firm. The day came when the plans were completed and accepted. The decision to move ahead, the acquisition of the site, and the plans were finished by late 1972. H. D. Terrell Construction Company of Fort Worth was hired in May 1973 to build the church.

The stone used for the building of the church is Parker County limestone. Mr. Pete Carroll, who deals in building stone, was hired to haul 499 tons of Parker County limestone from what is known as the Old Cartwright Ranch south of the Brazos River in the Tin Top community. In 1876, Bourke’s Almanac, which was published to be sent back to the old states to induce settlers to come west, had this statement: Parker County is a sea of grass and water with plenty of stone for fence building. In that decade many stone fences were built by freed slaves. It was from one of these that the stone was hauled. It was still available because there was a section between two deep ravines that was so inaccessible that it had been left by former builders. Mr. Carroll did a little research and found the remains of an old home site. He reasoned that to get in to the house the settler needed a road of some kind. He searched until he found it, and with some minor repair to the road he was able to get to the beautiful, untouched part of the fence built a century ago.

Mr. Jim Dickey, Parker County stonemason and member of the church, was employed to lay these stones. He placed them horizontally in the way in which they were formed in the earth, using an intricate pattern of size and shape woven together to form a tapestry of great beauty. The Sanctuary walls, like the south walls of the office and Fellowship Hall are two-feet thick. The east and west walls of the Educational Building are stone veneer.

The tablet in the Narthex contains a brief summary of the history of this congregation carved in a segment of limestone from the Jack Pickard ranch a few miles south of the church. The edges that can be seen were formed in the earth and have not been milled. Behind it is a metal box in which memorabilia was placed during the summer of 1974.

On the stones around the tablet are the names of ministers who have served these congregations, along with their dates of service. They form a constellation of witnesses to the history of the Grace First Presbyterian Church. On the table in the Narthex is the Bible which is carried to the pulpit at the beginning of each service. It is kept there to symbolize an old tradition of the Reformers, that the Bible be both open and available to the people while also being the foundation upon which all worship and all preaching is based.

Upon entering the Sanctuary one sees embodied the three elements of worship, marking the Reformed tradition. The tallest feature is the pulpit, emphasizing the Word, written and preached, as being central in Presbyterian theology and history. The puplit is elevated so that all may see the preacher – above is placed the sounding board so that his words may be heard by all.