The Saint Ignatius Loyola Church was conceived as a replacement to the older Roman Catholic church in the city of Houghton that was dedicated in 1859. A new building was needed to accommodate the growing number of members ushered in by the boom of the local copper mining industry. The construction of the Saint Ignatius Loyola Church was supervised by Father Antoine Ivan Rezek (before he became a Monsignor). He was the parish priest until 1946 and completely watched over the construction of the Neo-Gothic church designed by E. Brielmaier and Sons. Today, the Saint Ignatius Loyola Church still serves as the parish church. It has been expanded a couple of times in the past, adding a portico, rear, and a connected building (excerpted from http://www.cityprofile.com/michigan/saint-ignatius-loyola-church.html, accessed June 2011).