The Church of Our Saviour was founded on July 30, 1924, with the encouragement of the diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev’d Judah Mikell, specifically to provide a place of worship within a diocese that was uniformly “low church,” for those who embraced the teaching and practices of the Anglo-Catholic movement.
After worshipping for a year in rented premises, in 1925 the congregation moved to its present location at the corner of Los Angeles and Highland Avenues in the heart of the Virginia-Highland neighborhood.
The church was consecrated on the 1st Sunday of Advent in 1944 by the Rt. Rev’d John Moore Walker.
The buildings were expanded in the 1950s and the original building was incorporated into the larger present structure when its wooden walls were covered by brick facing.
The interior of the church was renovated in the 1980s. The choir space was moved behind the altar to allow the potential for a free-standing altar.
The parish hall, Pettway Hall, named to honor Our Saviour’s rector of 38 years, Fr. Roy Pettway, is located under the church. The church offices are in Griffith Hall, a building behind the church at 985 Los Angeles Avenue, which originally served as its rectory. Opposite the church stands Garrison Hall, a facility used by a variety of community groups. All these facilities are named in honor of clergy now deceased.
