Mission Dolores

Founded on June 29, 1776, the Mison San Francisco de Asis – more popularly known as Mission Dolores – was founded during the Spanish colonization of San Francisco. The mission's church is the oldest original church building in California and the oldest intact building in the city of San Francisco.

The original mission at the site was a humble log and thatch structure. Construction on the current Mission Dolores church building didn’t begin until a dozen years later. More than 36,000 adobe bricks were used to build this structure, which was finally dedicated in 1791.

Father Palou, the friar in charge of the San Francisco mission, enticed local Native Americans to “come close and watch” them build the mission and many tribe members offered to help, speeding the building of the church and, in the process, converting many of the Indians to Christianity. Historians say that by 1810, about 1,100 members of the Indian population came to Mission Dolores, which was more than just a church. The mission also owned sheep, cows, and other farm animals and ran farming and ranch operations throughout the Bay area. The complex known as Mission Dolores also included manufacturing operations, hotels, and other retail establishments and was the center of life in San Francisco.

During the Gold Rush, mission-owned properties were sold or leased to saloons or gambling halls and, at that time, a two-story wing was added to the main church building, used as a seminary and priests’ living quarters. Eventually the neighborhood that grew around the mission at this time became known as, appropriately, the Mission District.

More changes were made in 1876, with the building of a new Gothic Revival brick church, which was destroyed 30 years later during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. A new church, now known as the Mission Dolores Basilica, was built from 1913-1918 and the older adobe church, which retains the name “Mission Dolores”, was restored during the same time period.

Mission Dolores is still an active church where individuals can come to attend Roman Catholic services. The façade of the old church is still the original but most of the other parts of the mission have been replaced or renovated.

The mission is open to visitors 7 days a week, and guests can also explore the small cemetery located beside it. A museum and a gift shop are also located onsite.