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Building History

Fathers Pedro Cambon and Joseph de la Somera founded the San Gabriel Mission on 09/08/1771.

Alteration

An earthquake in 07/1855 knocked the bells from the mission's belfry. An earthquake in 1987 caused the San Gabriel Mission to buckle; the nearby auditorium tower collapsed.

On 07/11/2020, an arson fire damaged a significant portion of the Mission San Gabriel. An article in the Inside San Gabriel.com blog stated: "Originally reported at 4:24 a.m. to the Verdugo Fire Communications Center on July 11, 2020 at 4:24 a.m., the Mission San Gabriel incident drew over 85 firefighters, 12 engine companies, 5 truck companies, 4 rescue ambulances and 5 battalion chiefs as a 4-alarm fire. Nearly 50% of the on-duty fire resources of the West San Gabriel Valley were called to the incident as a result of automatic aid agreements within the region. Due to the efforts of the firefighters, the fire was stopped before it reached the alter, museum and the adjacent rectory. There were no civilian injuries, though one firefighter from the San Gabriel Fire Department sustained non-life threatening injuries and has since made a full recovery." (See Antonio Negrete, Inside San Gabriel.com, "Mission San Gabriel Fire Determined to be Arson, John David Corey Jr. Charged," published 05/04/2021, accessed 05/06/2021.) Police and fire investigators charged a 57-year-old man, John David Corey, Jr., for setting the blaze.

An article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune by Ruby Gonzales said of the blaze: "The fire at the mission started at 4:24 a.m. on July 11, 2020 in the choir loft on the second floor, spread to the ceiling, the attic space and the roof, San Gabriel Fire Capt. Antonio Negrete said in an interview last year. During the Tuesday news conference, San Gabriel Fire Chief Steven Wallace gave a summary of what happened, how arriving firefighters saw smoke and fire to the rear of the church and how the fire grew to a four-alarm blaze. Portions of the roof collapsed, which forced firefighters to get out of the church, he added. He said the firefighters later returned to the building." (See Ruby Gonzales, San Gabriel Valley Tribune.com, "Man charged with setting fire to historic San Gabriel Mission," published 05/04/2021, updated 05/05/2021, accessed 05/06/2021.)

Another web site summarized the damage: "Throughout the investigation, authorities avoided commenting on the cause of the fire. The blaze destroyed the mission church’s roof and damaged its walls and pews, while the 150,000 gallons of water used to put out the fire caused the sacristy and baptistry floors to sink, revealing previously unknown layers of brick and stone first used to build the mission. Because the church had been undergoing renovations, much of the artwork in the sanctuary, including historic paintings and other devotional artifacts, had been removed prior to the fire." (See Pablo Kay, Angelus News.com, "Investigators announce arrest of suspected arsonist in Mission San Gabriel fire," published 05/04/2021, accessed 05/06/2021.)

PCAD id: 7782