Named in honor of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (who was known as "the Little Flower"), the church was first built in 1926 in a largely Protestant area.
It was founded in 1925, a year before construction started.
 Two weeks after it opened, the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross in front of the church.
 The original wood structure was destroyed by a fire on March 17, 1936.
 Construction of the new building started in 1931 and ended in 1936.
 Its completion was spurred by the destruction of the old structure and it employed large amounts of copper and stone to execute the designs of architect Henry J. McGill, of the New York firm of McGill and Hamlin.

Pope Francis designated the Shrine a minor basilica on January 31, 2015.
Named in honor of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (who was known as "the Little Flower"), the church was first built in 1926 in a largely Protestant area. It was founded in 1925, a year before construction started.  Two weeks after it opened, the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross in front of the church.  The original wood structure was destroyed by a fire on March 17, 1936.  Construction of the new building started in 1931 and ended in 1936.  Its completion was spurred by the destruction of the old structure and it employed large amounts of copper and stone to execute the designs of architect Henry J. McGill, of the New York firm of McGill and Hamlin.
Pope Francis designated the Shrine a minor basilica on January 31, 2015.
National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica