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Oldest Cathedral in California: Chinatown's Old Saint Mary's Cathedral

Old St. Mary's Cathedral, with the address of 660 California St (corner of California and Grant), is also the Chinese Mission, and the first Cathedral in California. The cornerstone was set on July 17, 1853, and the cathedral completed and dedicated for Christmas1854, by Bishop Joseph S Alemany. This was both the first dedicated cathedral (and thus, the head Catholic building in the state, and was also the tallest building in San Francisco when it opened, at 27 meters (89 ft) tall, due to the extra tall clocktower. 

One of the most prominent features of the clocktower was the quote from Ecclesiasticus 4:23 right below the clock itself: "Son, Observe the Time and Fly from Evil." It was meant to warn the sailors from visiting the various brothels and other dens of vices in the area. 


This cathedral was demoted to a regular parish church in 1891 when the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (aka "New Saint Mary's") was built at Van Ness and O'Farrell. 

The church actually survived the 1906 Earthquake but was destroyed by the fire the next day. It was rebuilt by 1909, which also saw the renaming of the portion of Dupont St. in Chinatown to Grant Ave. 

It stands across two of the first buildings to be rebuilt in Chinatown after the 1906 fire, the Sing Chong and the Sing Fat buildings, also at the same intersection. You can recognize them as the blocky buildings with extra pagoda roof corners that looked "tacked on". 

Today, the "Old St. Mary's" is still open for mass and visitations, and provides food for the needy as well as Bible School and more for those needing spiritual support. 
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About the author

Kasey is a professional tour guide and amateur historian who specialized in Chinatown History and Tours. You will often find him guiding groups sampling delicious food and learning interesting historical tidbits about Chinatown most weekends.

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