San Francisco, California story
The City's First Foundation
If you're looking for the oldest intact building in San Francisco, you'll find it at Mission Dolores. Founded on October 9, 1776, by Francisco Palóu and Pedro Benito Cambón, this…
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If you're looking for the oldest intact building in San Francisco, you'll find it at Mission Dolores. Founded on October 9, 1776, by Francisco Palóu and Pedro Benito Cambón, this chapel is the only intact Mission Chapel remaining from Father Serra's chain of twenty-one missions. While it was officially named for Saint Francis of Assisi, locals began calling it Mission Dolores because of a nearby creek, the Arroyo de los Dolores.
Completed in 1791, the structure has survived countless earthquakes to remain the principal monument of the Spanish Empire and Mexican Republic in the Bay Area. It's a quiet, sturdy witness to over two centuries of the city's evolution, standing long before the skyscrapers and cable cars ever arrived.
Updated June 2026