History of the San Francisco Archdiocesan (under construction)

Archive Video of SF Diocesan History (amazing)

The Old St. Mary's Church spires in San Francisco...before the fire of 1962.

Before 1962, the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption was located at California Street and Grant Avenue, known as the Old Saint Mary's Cathedral.

Old St. Mary's Church: Catholic History in San Francisco

The cornerstone of the Blessed Virgin Mary was laid on Sunday, July 17, 1853, at the corner of California and Dupont Streets by Bishop Joseph C. Alemany of Monterey. Thanks to the dedication of Alemany, now the new Archbishop of San Francisco, at Midnight Mass on Christmas Day 1854, it became the first cathedral in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The building was designed in the Neo-Gothic style by William Crane and Thomas England, two of the earliest resident architects in California. St. Mary’s is the first cathedral in California that was built specifically to serve as a cathedral, although other churches in the state served as cathedrals prior to its construction. When it opened, it was the tallest building in San Francisco and in all of California.

It was used as a cathedral from 1854 to 1891 and was replaced by the first Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the diocese needed more space for the growing number of Catholics in the area. In 1891, the Old St. Mary’s Church became a parish church, still bearing the same name as the cathedral. The new St. Mary’s Cathedral was located on Van Ness Avenue and O’Farrell Street.

Under the clock face of the Blessed Virgin Mary are the words: “Son, keep time and flee from evil” (Ecclesiasticus 4:23). This message was directed at men who frequented nearby brothels in the 1850s.

It was across the street from Old St. Mary’s, on the southeast corner of California and Dupont Streets (the latter is now Grant Avenue), where Emperor Norton fainted on his way to a lecture at the California Academy of Sciences in 1880.

Old St. Mary’s Church survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, but was gutted by fires caused by the earthquake the following day. The fire was so hot that it melted the church bells and marble altar. Only the outer brick walls and bell tower remained. The restoration of the church was completed in 1909 under the direction of architects Welsh and Carey. Dupont Street, associated with the Barbary Coast and Chinatown, was renamed Grant Avenue in honor of former President and General Ulysses S. Grant.

The church expanded and built an auditorium, library, and lecture room, and then used this space to host events for military personnel and women during World War II.

Old St. Mary’s Church remains an active archdiocesan parish serving the Chinatown and Nob Hill areas of San Francisco. Old St. Mary’s Church is a California historical landmark. The Paulist Fathers have served Old St. Mary’s since 1901 and continue to serve there today.

In 2011–2012, the church underwent further repairs, during which all the crosses on the roof were removed as it was being restored. While the four crosses on the sides were reinstalled, as of September 2012, the cross in the middle had not been returned. --Agnes O'Neal 06.11.2022

Historical Context

Old Saint Mary's Cathedral: The original cathedral was built between 1853 and 1854 and served as the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. It was the first cathedral in California specifically constructed for that purpose and was dedicated on Christmas Day in 1854. This cathedral was designed in the Neo-Gothic style and was notable for being the tallest building in San Francisco at the time.

Relocation and New Construction: In 1891, due to the growing Catholic population in the area, a new cathedral was constructed at the corner of Van Ness Avenue and O'Farrell Street. The original cathedral continued to function as a parish church and is still standing today.
Destruction of the Cathedral: The second cathedral, which served the Archdiocese for over 70 years, was destroyed by arson on September 7, 1962. Following this event, plans were made to construct a new cathedral, which was completed in 1971.
The original site of the cathedral at California and Grant remains significant in San Francisco's religious and architectural history, with Old Saint Mary's Cathedral still serving the community today.

In 1964, the 5th archbishop of San Francisco, Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken invited Pietro Belluschi (dean of School of Architecture at MIT) to design and build the new San Francisco St. Mary's Cathedral. The cathedral was welcomed by Pope St. John Paul II, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

On Saturday, November 1, 2025: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone celebrated a Solemn Pontifical High Mass at the Throne at Star of the Sea Parish to commemorate All Souls Day, San Francisco, California. The pictures and fun facts are mentioned below...

A few fun facts about the paraments used for this Pontifical Mass: (pictures from the Pontifical Mass and history were contributed by David Lopez, sacerdos in disciplina).

1) The full gold vestment set came from the old Cathedral on Van Ness and O'Farrell, now in possession of the current Cathedral. It dates to the 1930s or 1940s, and is from France.

2) The rochet worn by the Archbishop is the same one that was worn by Fulton Sheen during his visit to San Francisco in 1978, although it dates back to the late 1950's or 1960's. The matching surplice worn by Father Motte is from the same era.

3) The crozier used by the Archbishop dates back to Archbishop Hanna, so it is most likely from the early 1920s.

4) The Metropolitan cross also came from the old Cathedral, and has been around since the 1930's.

5) The ornate chalice and ciborium date back to 1883. They belonged to Archbishop Alemany, the first Archbishop of San Francisco. They are also from France.