First Presbyterian was founded in 1835 for evangelical outreach.  The church began when Rev. James Phillips came to Cedar Falls and met with six of the town's residents.  The church first met above various local businesses and even spent some time in the town hotel before it moved into the old schoolhouse.  In 1862, they built a permanent church building for between five and six thousand dollars.  They used this building until they moved into their current building in 1910.