At the same time…

In 1852 the Wesleyan Church received a grant of land in North Melbourne bounded by Howard, Queensberry, Capel and Courtney Streets. A wooden chapel was built in Howard Street, which was then a busy major street being on the route to the Goldfields. As the population increased so did the Wesleyan congregation and there was a need for a larger church building.

In order to fund the building of new churches in areas of population growth the Trustees of the Wesleyan Church decided to sell the half-acre block and chapel on the corner of Queen and Collins Streets. The sale realised £40,000 and £3,000 was set aside for a church and parsonage in North Melbourne. The Rev W L Binks laid the foundation stone on Wednesday 5 January 1859 and the opening services took place on 5 June 1859. The interior of the church building incorporated many cedar fittings including the pews and pulpit retained from the chapel on the corner of Queen and Collins streets. The Howard Street Church, as it was known, could be seen from the city as it was situated on the crest of the hill facing the corner of Capel and Courtney Streets.

It was decided in late 1859 to replace the original wooden chapel on the corner of Queensberry and Howard Streets with a brick building and to add several more rooms to serve as the Wesleyan school.

The congregation of Mark the Evangelist in the first instance stem from the formation of the Presbyterian Church in Curzon Street and of the Wesleyan Church in Howard Street North Melbourne.