The Very Reverend Charles A. Vassani (1831–1896) established the U.S.
Commissariat of the Holy Land in 1880, in New York City. It was from this location that Rev. Vassani and Father Godfrey Schilling, O.F.M. (1855–1934) began to plan to build a "Holy Land in America" and a Holy Sepulcher. They envisioned building on a high hill on
Staten Island, overlooking the entrance to New York's harbor. These plans were later dropped. Eventually the plans changed to a wooded hilltop in
Brookland, Washington, D.C. In 1897, Fr. Godfrey purchased the McCeeney Estate in Brookland in order to found a monastery and church. The six Brothers lived in the abandoned McCeeney house. After purchasing the site, Fr. Schilling visited the Holy Land and took measurements and photographs of the Holy Sites. In February 1898, ground was broken, and the cornerstone was laid on the
Saint Joseph's Day. Construction of the holy shrines, gardens, and Rosary Portico continued for several years. The Church was consecrated in September 1924, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of its dedication. In January 1992, the "Franciscan Monastery and Memorial Church of the Holy Land" was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. == Architecture ==