St. Joseph Catholic Church is significant for both its architecture and its history. Milwaukee architect Anton Dohmen designed the church in the Romanesque style. He designed five North Dakota churches, including St. Mary's Church at Assumption Abbey in Richardton. Dohmen also submitted the original design for Bismarck's Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, although it was later rejected.
Mandan's first Mass was celebrated in 1879 by Father Valentine Sommereisen at the Linnehan residence. The parish was organized in 1881 and secured land for a church within the city's "Catholic settlement." Construction began that fall at Stark Avenue, now Collins Avenue, and Third Street.
A wooden building intended to serve as both church and school was completed in October 1882, although the size of the congregation required changes to the original plan. Father Cassidy, previously of Yankton, Dakota Territory, had been associated with the parish since its organization. By 1884, he reportedly lived in a rectory added to the original church. Friends of Father Collins in New York gave statues of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph to the congregation in February 1897. Stations of the Cross were added several months later.
The congregation was initially heavily influenced by Irish members. By 1892, Germans from Ukraine had begun arriving in Morton County. Barely a decade after the first St. Joseph's Church was completed, parish records included requests for a German priest and for German to be used in services and confirmation instruction. The Irish-born priest's selection of German-born Anton Dohmen to design a larger replacement church may have been an attempt to address the desire for greater German influence in the parish.
The cornerstone was laid in April 1904. A tin box beneath it contains relics from Lourdes, Rome, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, and the Jordan River. Father Daniel Collins led construction of the current church and personally loaned $13,500 toward its $40,000 cost. After his death in 1909, he was interred in a basement vault.
The church was dedicated in November 1904 by Bishop John Shanley, North Dakota's first Catholic bishop. It seats 725, and its tower and steeple rise 114 feet. The ornate original interior used extensive stenciling to decorate and define the vaulted ceiling arches, resembling churches familiar to European immigrants.
The outdoor statue "Jesus Blessing" was added to the grounds in June 1921. Bishop Wehrle presided over a special Mass and dedication ceremony featuring a 300-member children's choir. The church's rosary society, St. Mary's Society, funded the statue with major donations from two local residents.
The church was constructed with native rock, Kasota stone facing, and Menominee brick from Wisconsin. A narthex was added in 1974 to provide a gathering space consistent with Catholic church design after the Second Vatican Council. The original stained-glass windows remain. They were most likely designed by Milwaukee artist Karl Riemann in collaboration with Dohmen. Their unusual devotional designs honor saints, and many are dedicated to pioneer priests from throughout the region.