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Overview

This church, dedicated iby Archbishop Patrick William Riordan (1841-1914) on 06/20/1909, has functioned as a parish church since the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 destroyed the preceding 1854 building.

Building History

The San Francisco Roman Catholic Archdiocese rebuilt the church very closely on the lines of the Early Gothic Revival original. There were some differences in detail, but the largest changes were structural. According to the church's web site: "Steel was used to replaced the burned wood roof trusses and floor framing. More durable materials modified and replaced trim elements damaged by the quake and fire. Facing the church across California Street, where some of the neighborhoods more notorious dings once stood, there was now a new park named St. Mary' s Square." (See Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, "History," accessed 03/15/2015.)

Alterations

At the time of the Second World War, the church was expanded; a library, auditorium, and lecture hall were added at this time. Alterations also occurred in 2011-2012.