Two local builders, William McClellan, a member of Second Church, and George Gibson, constructed the building. Because the actual cost of the building exceeded estimates, this most beautiful building, with its awe-inspiring bell tower whose pinnacles rise 120 feet above Fifth Street, had to forego a bell. The bell was finally installed as a highlight of the 150th Anniversary Celebration held on February 5, 1995.

The four stone pinnacles atop the bell tower, pointed Gothic diamond-paned windows, tall Gothic doors, high cruciform roof, and unique brownstone battlements and trim, dressed and shipped from quarries in New York, characterize Lafever's Gothic design. The distinctive Gothic ironwork along the front of the façade was fabricated not by the renowned Tredegar Ironworks, but instead by a New York firm. The identical Lafever ironwork pattern can be seen at the Packard Institute in Brooklyn, another of his commissions built in the early 1840’s. The majority of the deteriorated original brownstone was replaced in a major exterior renovation in 2003.

Second Presbyterian Church was the first Gothic building and the first gas-lit church to be built in Richmond. It is listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register, which calls it the "most beautiful specimen of Gothic (Revival) Architecture in the city," and the National Registry of Historic Places.

During the Civil War, Second Presbyterian was in a volatile and important position in Richmond, thanks largely to Moses Hoge. Hoge was the official minister of both Camp Lee and the Confederate Congress. He ran the Union blockade to England to obtain Bibles for the Confederate Army. While in England, Hoge was invited to preach to Queen Victoria. After the service, she offered Dr. Hoge a personal gift, which he refused, asking instead for some sprigs of ivy from Westminster Abbey. The ivy he brought back still grows around the base of Second Church.

These unique buildings have always housed a vital downtown congregation, inspiringly led, and dedicated to fulfilling its mission "to know Christ and to make Him known" within the community and throughout the world. Second Presbyterian Church proclaimed the word and a vital social gospel to a burgeoning Victorian city. Abreast of change in 20^th century Richmond, it founded no fewer than six other congregations. Resisting strong currents to relocate to the suburbs in the late 20th century, it stayed downtown.

Today, with four other downtown churches and the Salvation Army, the church provides a daily meal ministry to homeless persons. Another program started at Second in the late 1970’s continues to provide assistance and support for families of the incarcerated. And its twenty-five year old childcare center was the first nationally accredited childcare provider in the Commonwealth. Annually, the youth of the church respond to mission challenges that may be local, national, or even international in scope. Second Presbyterian continues to seek mission opportunities for the entire congregation that are worthy of its history and facilitated by its continued presence in the heart of the city.