Once almost completely destroyed by fire, St. Alban's Episcopal Church of Indianapolis not only survived, but is also approaching its fiftieth anniversary.

Named for Britain's first martyr, a pagan soldier who converted to Christianity and was condemned after helping a priest escape persecution, St. Alban's formed in 1956, and our building contains a stone from a namesake church in England. Begun in a bank basement, St. Alban's originated as a mission of Trinity Church of Indianapolis. On June 12, 1957, ground was broken for the first St. Alban's building, on five acres at the northeast corner of 46th Street and Emerson Avenue. The original building currently houses our parish hall, church office and education facilities, but also once served as our place of worship. St. Alban's achieved parish status in the 1960s, and built its present sanctuary in 1971.

For as long as anyone in the parish can remember, the building has been flanked by a nineteenth-century family graveyard and baseball diamonds used by a community league. During the fall of 1983, fire ravaged St. Alban's. The original building virtually had to be rebuilt, while the sanctuary mainly suffered smoke and water damage. Both buildings did not become fully functional until the spring of 1984, and during our time of need, members of neighboring St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church graciously invited us to use their facility.

When St. Alban's reopened, a columbarium, the first in the diocese, was added. Along the west side of the sanctuary, a ten-by-thirty-foot quilt was installed, having been commissioned by the congregation. The theme pertains to how God reaches and inspires the faithful with water. Through the years, this water imagery has been carried throughout the building, mainly in stained glass on the sanctuary's north end, above the choir box, in the columbarium doors, and in our main entry doors dedicated in the spring of 2005. In the fall of 1992, a tornado cut through our neighborhood. Although a church across the street was destroyed, St. Alban's was spared, and had a chance to offer others a helping hand. The church was used as a base station for the Red Cross.

In recent years, the church added an elevator and handicapped accessible restrooms and a new roof.

Rectors have included the Reverends David Stambaugh, John Barrow, Robert A. McGill, David Musgrave, Stephen Bondurant and M. Sue Reid.