Grace Church was Henry Rosenberg's parish and he bequeathed it $30,000 to build a permanent church building on the site in the West End occupied by its original wooden vernacular church of 1874 (extant). Clayton drew upon the model of medieval English country churches rather than the symmetrically composed, hall-type churches he tended to produce for Catholic parishes. He took advantage of Rosenberg's largesse, amplified with additional gifts from Rosenberg's widow, Mollie Magill Rosenberg, to have the church built of limestone from Palo Pinto County, materially enhancing its intimation of picturesque rusticity. The vestry of Grace Church retained amateur architect Silas McBee, commissioner of endowments at the University of the South, as architectural advisor and liturgical design consultant. Clayton and McBee collaborated on the design of the church interior.