The parish was established in 1930. It is the oldest Episcopal Church in Tucson still in its original location. Like a tough desert plant, it has survived difficult times. The 1940s and 1950s were periods of growth and well-being. In the 1980s and 1990s the parish began to flourish and grow.

In 1931 the first church building on Sixteenth Street was erected. The bells in the tower are from a railroad locomotive; together with the railroad tie that supports "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You" sign at the corner, they are symbolic of the many Southern Pacific executives and employees who once lived in the neighborhood.

In 1968, meeting at St. Andrew's parish hall, Armory Park residents defeated the proposed Butterfield Freeway which was to have run through the neighborhood. This meeting ultimately resulted in the formation of the Armory Park Neighborhood Association, an active neighborhood group of which Saint Andrew's continues to be a part.

In the 1980s the parish undertook remodeling and improvement of the parish facilities. The present church building has been given a more Southwestern appearance. A seven-rank pipe organ, built by the Schoenstein Company, was installed, and a new kitchen was completed.

In the late 1980s the rectory was renovated to become the first residence for low-income persons with AIDS in Tucson.

Throughout the 1990s restoration of the parish hall, the original church facility, was completed and named Gegenheimer Hall. The unkempt area between the kitchen and parish hall became a fully landscaped patio, a place of tranquility and peace. Also the Bach Society was formed to provide a popular summer concert series for Tucson. And "Food for Life", a Southern Arizona Aids Foundation program of meals for shut-ins, became centered at Saint Andrew's.

In the new millennium, Saint Andrew's continues to explore new ways to reach out to the community of which it is a part and to promote worship and ministry in keeping with the best Anglican tradition.