Mission Dolores

What you need to know

Mission San Francisco de Asis, known as Mission Dolores, is the oldest intact building in San Francisco, an adobe chapel that has stood since 1791 and survived the 1906 earthquake.

The History

The mission was founded in 1776 by Father Francisco Palou, working under Junipero Serra, five days before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Construction of the current chapel began in 1782. Ohlone people provided most of the labor, much of it coerced, and many died from European diseases and mission conditions.

What to See

The chapel interior remains largely as it was. The ceiling beams were lashed with rawhide instead of nailed, and the geometric decoration uses original vegetable-dye paint, contrasting with the larger basilica built next door in 1918. The cemetery holds some of the city’s earliest recorded burials; a monument acknowledges the thousands of Ohlone buried in unmarked plots. A small museum displays artifacts and exhibits on Ohlone life. A small entrance fee supports preservation.

Getting There

The mission is at 16th and Dolores, three blocks from the 16th Street BART station.