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History

The Church of the Redeemer was founded in 1893, when a small group of families from the Glen Echo area began meeting in each other's homes for worship. In 1903, the congregation built a small chapel with the help of Saint John's, Norwood Parish. In 1940, a brick chapel was constructed on the present site. Under the leadership of its first vicar, the Reverend Dr. Robert Evans Browning, Redeemer became a parish in 1951.

By 1957, Redeemer had outgrown its building. The congregation constructed a new church, Saint Dunstan's, two miles away on Massachusetts Avenue. Upon its completion, four-fifths of the congregation left to join the new parish, and Redeemer reverted to the status of mission. By 1965, Redeemer had grown significantly and became a parish once again.

The present structure is major renovation and expansion of the 1940 chapel. Completed in 1999, the building project doubled Redeemer's worship and program space. Well suited as a venue for the fine arts, the facility is often used for dramatic and musical presentations, and exhibitions. A celebration of the sacred in artistic expression is a particular hallmark of parish identity.