Mission San Francisco de Asis

ByDominic Buraglio

• founded October 9, 1776• 6th Mission founded• named for Saint Francis of Assisi• commonly known as “Mission Dolores”• founded by Father Francisco Palou• located in the San Francisco Mission District

Longevity• only the chapel and

graveyard remain of the original Mission complex

• one of only two intact original Mission chapels

• oldest original church building in California

• oldest intact building in San Francisco

http://www.californias-missions.org/individual/mission_san_francisco_de_asis.htm#top

• survived several earthquakes, including 1906 quake and fire

Courtesy of Title Insurance & Trust Company by E.A. CohenThe Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley

• dioramas inside show Ohlone village and Mission from 1791

• original Mission complex included dormitories, workshops, and soldier housing

• all portions of the Mission complex except for the chapel and graveyard were demolished by 1900

• Dolores Creek was next to Mission

Both photos by Donald Buraglio

Chapel Construction

• adobe chapel started in 1782 and finished in 1791

• chapel is 114 ft. long, 22 ft. wide and 21 ft. tall

The Basics

Donald Buraglio

• Mission built by Ohlone Indians

• this model Ohlone hut is in the Mission graveyard

The Builders

Donald Buraglio

• roof trusses are made of redwood logs lashed together with rawhide

• chapel originally had a thatch roof, which was replaced with tile in 1795

• many tiles in the roof today are the original tiles

Roof

Donald Buraglio

http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications/pdf_publications/seismic_retrofitting.pdf

• the pattern was taken from the pattern of Ohlone baskets

• these Ohlone colors were made from vegetable dyes

Ceiling

Donald Buraglio

• foundation of rock, 4 feet below ground

• walls made of adobe are 4 feet thick

• over 36,000 bricks were used

• bricks are now covered in whitewashed stucco

• Mud or lighter adobe held bricks together

Foundation and Walls

Donald BuraglioDonald Buraglio

Building with Adobe

• mud plus sometimes straw, manure, or hay were mixed together to make adobe bricks

• the mixture was then put in molds and left outside to dry in the sun

• adobe bricks don’t permanently harden, so they shrink or expand like a sponge, depending on how much moisture is around them

Donald Buraglio http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief05.htm

Adobe Deterioration

• water - makes adobe putty-like and can possibly wash it away

• plants - roots grow into the adobe bricks, which causes cracking

• pests - eat the adobe and make homes in the walls

• wind - erosionhttp://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief05.htm

Restoration and Maintenance

• major renovations were finished in 1917, 1920 and 1995

• roof and walls have been reinforced with steel to make them stronger

C.E. Fennell

Why the mission still stands today

• earthquake survival – having thick, relatively short walls (4 ft. thick, 22 ft. tall), makes it very stable and hard to knock down

• general longevity – the site most likely has good drainage, which keeps the adobe dry and stable

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM17BQ

THE END

Donald Buraglio